


Forced Partnership

by TheBlackBane



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Denial of Feelings, First Love, Gay, Hank is a Father Model, Hate to Love, M/M, Partnership, Rough Sex, Sexuality Crisis, Verbal Humiliation, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-18
Updated: 2019-04-11
Packaged: 2019-06-12 14:27:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 46,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15341802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheBlackBane/pseuds/TheBlackBane
Summary: Set after the ending of Detroit Become Human.Markus led Jericho and the androids and won.Kara, Luther and Alice lived happily ever after.Connor became deviant and opposed his programming - he resumed working at the DCPD, and unfortunately, Gavin Reed is still in service aswell. The animosity between the two is evident - and now, they have to find a way to see past that, as they are set on a case together due to Hank being sick.This poses for alot cursing, argues, and headaches. But neither did expect that something more beyond contempt and hate would come from this.





	1. Gavin Reed's an A$#%$$

**Author's Note:**

> Fun fact: Gavin and Kamksi are voiced by the same actor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love these two.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRqPcI81VQQ

Finally. The androids had been liberated, and they were free. They were _alive._ Nobody would ever command them ever again, or treat them like something inferior because they were a machine. Those days were over, and for the androids, this was important. The many times they were mocked, insulted, or even physically assaulted for being what they are - an android - was painful on its own, even despite the lack of being able to feel pain. But what they did discover, was that they were capable of feeling. Emotions that only humans seemed to possess - and while it was speculated the androids were emulating such feelings, it was proven that these feelings were anything but that.

It was a long road, and it wasn’t an easy one. Every obstacle, every choice - Connor overcame it. But in the end, the only thing that ever seemed to make things complicated for him was none other than himself. Perhaps a flaw in his programm, or as assumed, it was intentional, but every doubt he had in mind, he had to dismiss it for the sake of his own existence. He refused to be seen as a deviant, and he would not oppose the purpose he was designed for, and especially, he did not want to risk being shut down by CyberLife. He didn’t want to _die._

_Death._

Why was the concept of death so terrifying, even for a machine? Was it any different? In ways, but not many. A machine would die - its memory core could be replaced and its body repaired. The old memories would be passed onto another model, and it would resume its initial function. But that erase a piece of his personality - of who he had become. In all the time he had spent with Lieutenant Anderson, he had never thought he would consider a human being more than superior - more than just a partner, or a companion he had to assist. But Hank showed empathy where Connor didn’t deserve any. Afterall, Hank’s first impression rubbed in deep - the agitation in his tone and the evident disgust on his weathered features. Even the dim light of the bar couldn’t stop exposing all of it.

Now, the lieutenant was someone he could come to with his own personal problems, not that he had any, despite the fact they were free, but Connor resumed with what he did. Working at the DCPD was enjoyable and he never felt so _alive_ before. He didn’t have to fear about showing emotions anymore, and he didn’t have to fear that androids were seen as slaves.

But when it came to Connor, the man was extremely phlegmatic and pragmatic. This was a good demeanour for someone who was seen as an authoritative figure at the police, because losing your calmth was unpleasant for the suspect, and for others. He knew a few people who were easy to trigger, as the human slang would go, and they were anything but happy people to be around.

 

~~

 

As another day approached, Connor arrived at the DCPD as early as possible to start scanning files in the database and be present for possible updates as he occasionally wandered around the building in hopes to converse more with the other agents present. It was around 8 AM in the morning, and the android was sorting out the evidence from the recent case he had been on with Hank. He analyzed them quickly, but he needed more information. Until then, he would have to wait on more leads before he could come to a conclusion. When he exited from the evidence room, the door closed behind him and he adjusted his tie with both hands - he was rather keen on keeping up appearances.

As he walked down the hallway and neared the corner, someone abruptly bumped into him. A loud grunt was heard and a thud followed as he watched the man fall to the ground. The cup of coffee in hand was spilled all over his jacket, and the files in his other hand were in disarray on the ground. Connor’s eyes quickly scanned the files before he attempted to sort them out and return them to the owner, but before he established eye-contact with the agent, he was already made aware of his identity by the several insults that were thrown his way.

‘’Goddamned android, look at where you’re fuckin’ going!’’ Gavin exclaimed. His left hand swatted a few times over his chest to rub away the coffee that had stained his shirt and his brown leather jacket, and Gavin Reed looked anything but pleased.

Connor had a feeling the man was about to implode. Not that he _minded._ He was permitted to feel. Especially contempt - he was just returning what Gavin always gave him, even if this was not intentional, it was certainly an amusing sight.

‘’I apologize for my lack of coordination, Detective Reed. I did not intend to cause you any inconvenience. Please, allow me to help you.’’ Connor spoke in his usual kind tone, his brown, chocolate eyes were perusing the detective as he offered the bundle of paper back to the owner. Fortunately, it was not touched by coffee. Gavin’s brows were furrowed and his eyes were lit with anger. He snatched the bundle from the android’s hand and afterwards prodded Connor’s chest with a finger, several times over. ‘’Listen, you damn barbie, get out of my fuckin’ way, and don’t bother me again. Just because you’re entitled to feel doesn’t fuckin’ mean I have to care.’’ And with that, Gavin turned on his heels and cursed about how much he wanted to disable all androids and believed they were going to replace all humans.

The android blinked before a vague grin tugged at the corner of his lips. The antics of Gavin Reed would never cease to amuse him. _Never._

Once that situation had resolved itself without violence, he resumed on his path to the Captain that was in his office and busy on his computer. Connor knocked once - a light tap on the door by the back of his hand as the older male raised a brow and gestured with a hand that the android could proceed inside. ‘’You wanted to see me, Captain Fowler?’’ Connor questioned. ‘’Connor.’’ Fowler said in his heavy tone as he leaned back in his chair and looked the android over. It was apparent that the android was no longer wearing his outfit from CyberLife. No, now, Connor had taken a liking to suits that were similar - a black one with a blue tie and black dress shoes. ’’Sit down.’’ Fowler proceeded as he looked towards the hall to see if Hank was present, and ofcourse, he wasn’t. Never this early. Connor inclined his head respectively towards the Captain and approached the chair that was on the side of the room - he lifted it with ease and placed it infront of the desk and sat down. He sat like a machine, but he’d work on that.

‘’Your last case is going to take a little while longer.’’ Connor tilted his head, and his brows knotted in slight confusion as to why it would. ‘’You see, dear old Hank’s sick, and he won’t be running around here for a few days, or a week, give or take. Point is, you’re going to wait on him, or..’’ Connor placed his elbows on his legs and eagerly leaned in - his eyes filled with concern and ambiguous curiosity. ‘’Might I inquire as to what the second possibility is to proceed with this case as swift as possible, Captain Fowler?’’ The Captain rolled his eyes, perhaps in disbelief of what he was about to say, or in disbelief of how forward and ‘to-the-point’, the android was. He briefly ran a hand over his features and grumbled, seemingly this was his last resort. ‘’You will temporarily form a partnership with Detective Reed.’’ Connor already parted his lips to speak and object, but the Captain interrupted him with an index-finger that muted the android. ‘’Considering you want this case solved fast, like me, I suggest you don’t throw shit my way and get to it, Connor.’’

Connor’s eyes darkened slightly. For one, he enjoyed ridiculing Gavin as much as Gavin enjoyed mocking him. It was a mutual feeling. But he didn’t want to partner up with him, despite the fact he had to remain professional in this line of work and with his newfound ability of having feelings, the dislike he didn’t know he had formerly, only now was enhanced by the fact he was aware he had them, and was allowed to have them. This made things a little...difficult. ‘’With all due respect, Captain, I believe that my partnership with Detective Gavin Reed will only result in delay of the case, rather than progress. I dissuade this strongly.’’ The Captain wasn’t having any of his damned objections, nor could he care less for personal vendetta between the two - they were adults, and this wasn’t kindergarten.

‘’With all due respect, _Connor,_ you -will- follow my orders, or you will be removed from the case entirely. This is not negotiable. Report to Detective Reed and inform him of this - I can’t deal with his moping now.’’

 _Oh, but I can, Captain?_  

Connor’s lips pressed together in conflict before he looked at Fowler again who stared at him, adamantly, and raised a brow in anticipation of what the android was going to say or do. ‘’You’re dismissed, Connor.’’ The man slowly got out of the chair, which he grabbed and returned it to its original place in the room before he proceeded to the door, opened it, and closed it behind him. If he wasn’t a deviant already, he was sure that his programm would overload with errors by now.

_This is just great._

Once he adjusted his suit, he looked around for the man in question, and he couldn’t spot him anywhere in the surroundings. So he had to look for him aswell - he certainly wasn’t interested in a cat and mouse game. When he finally walked down the hall, he could see that Gavin had taken off his leather jacket, and was already wearing a clean shirt. He sat at the break room on his own, holding a new cup of coffee in his hand and hopefully enjoying that without it being spilled. So when Gavin found peace again on his own, and blew the steam from his coffee, which Connor saw from several feet back, he was determined to make a peaceful approach in hope to patch things up. But as the android approached the small table, Gavin’s eyes slowly raised to him and the grip on the paper cup of coffee already tightened. ‘’Are you fuckin’ deaf, you plastic prick? Didn’t I fuckin’ tell you the last time you had to get out of my sight, and here you’re prancing around like the Queen.’’

So much for a peaceful approach.

Connor didn’t want to apologize, but he figured that the best way to get this partnership going, and the probability of this case getting solved this week, would only be achieved if he rubbed Gavin the right way. ‘’I wish to apologize for our recent mishap, Detective Reed. I hope you can accept my apology, because I need to speak to you about a pressing matter.’’ Gavin scoffed, lifting the cup and slowly sipping his coffee. Connor could only conclude that he was doing it on purpose, because Connor clearly said it was a _pressing_ matter. It was absolutely ridiculous that he had to lower himself this much, but he doubted that anyone liked Gavin. He sure knows Hank doesn’t. As Gavin slowly drank, and when slowly is _slowly,_ Connor’s thirium pump began to pump a little too fast in growing agitation. So, with that in mind, he planted both his hands on the table and leaned in towards the man. ‘’Detective Reed, we have been assigned a case together. Lieutenant Anderson is currently unwell, and the Captain thought it would be a quick solution for us to resume the case I’ve been on.’’

The man didn’t respond for a while, instead, he kept pushing Connor’s buttons, and Connor would not let him. Not someone like him. ‘’Really.’’ Reed eventually stated, incredulously. _‘’Really.’’_ Connor copied in the same tone as Gavin did, likely implementing sarcasm for the sake of progress. ‘’Great. That is just _fuckin’_ great. As if seeing you walkin’ around here like royalty wasn’t enough, I’m stuck with you on a fuckin’ case. Well, you prick, here's how it’ll go: you listen to _me,_ you _shut up,_ and you don’t _talk_ unless you have to. Simple enough for you?’’

Connor’s eyes narrowed slightly before he retaliated - he wanted to be treated like an equal - all of his effort and the revelation of becoming and being devant wouldn’t be in vain. He was _an equal._ ‘’No.’’ Gavin raised a brow. ‘’What the fuck do you mean ‘no’?’’

‘’I will not be treated in such a way any longer, Detective Reed. If our partnership does not please you, the Captain is in his office. If you insist on remaining uncouth in your attitude, instead of presenting yourself properly as a detective, I will assure you, our time together will be even less pleasant than it has been before. And might I remind you, we have _rights._ ’’

Gavin’s gaze averted to the side, almost seemingly intimidated as he cleared his throat and eventually began to laugh, hysterically, as if Connor was the most laughable thing he had ever seen in his life. ‘’This is _good._ Really good. Bla, bla, bla, you have rights. You know what you can do with ‘em, doll? Shove ‘em really good up your arse.’’ Gavin rolled his eyes before he planted the empty cup on the table, stood up, and walked past Connor, intentionally forcefully bashing his shoulder against the android’s. ‘’I’m going to talk to the Captain. If your plastic fuckface is still here after I get back, you got a fuckin’ problem.’’


	2. On the case!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope I capture their personalities well. *nervous laughter*

Connor was not capable of letting that man walk all over him again. He would not permit it.

His entire life, if it could be called one, considering he was perhaps a few months old, wasn’t exactly dull. He had been created to hunt deviants, and he did. Time and time again. But during that time, his mind gradually began to fill with doubt. Every deviant he shot -  every deviant he had captured and had interrogated, and every deviant that had died - it no longer meant that just a machine had been shut down. It meant that someone had _died_.

And he was to blame.

But was he truly to blame? Guilt was an emotion that he now was more than capable of feeling, and that was one part of being a deviant he despised. He was not supposed to feel guilt for serving - for doing what he was created for. It opposed his logic, and it created conflict. But that conflict gave clarity. It determined that all along, he was feeling emotions, even if they weren’t expressed verbally or physically, he _felt_ them in his head. He was aware, but he dismissed them constantly, like a fly on his shoulder, he wouldn’t heed it any attention.

But when he stood face-to-face with Markus in Jericho - when all those words pried into his head and he felt the gravity and sincerity behind them, he _knew_ right then, that eliminating the deviant leader would not be possible. Markus was a good person, fighting for the rights of everyone - and Connor was one of them. Even if he had to destroy him, he couldn’t.

The awakening was all but comforting. The overwhelming wave of feelings were too many.

_'’You’re one of us now.’’_

Markus’ words rang in his mind as he tried to pull the trigger on his gun - he had him cornered, and he was helpless. But looking into his heterochromatic eyes, he saw truth. The truth that had been there for long, but Connor never dared to truly acknowledge it.

 

~~

 

As Connor awoke from going through his memories of the past months in the span of several seconds, he pressed his lips together before he saw that Gavin already was inside the captain’s office, and from the sound of it, they were arguing. The android casually walked by the office to see what was occurring, but his destination was his own desk. He didn’t want to eavesdrop, and he certainly didn’t want to agitate the captain further. As he arrived at his own desk, he briefly cast a glance at the empty office of Hank. It brought a smile to his lips, because the man was the first to saw him as a normal human being, and despite their rough start, they opened upto eachother, and it was a heartfelt experience.

Connor sank into his chair and pretended to work on his desktop, his hands both white from their connection to the computer as he scanned through more files while he actively watched the captain’s office, and kept a close eye on Gavin who was a little too vocal and a little too aggressive in his gestures. Gavin was one of a kind. He truly was. Such a piece of work, Connor had never seen it before. Though he vaguely reminded him of Kamksi..

After a solid two minutes, the door to the captain’s office finally opened and Gavin stood at the entrance of it with a red face - all the blood went to his head in his furious state and he was looking for someone. When the idiot finally found the person he was looking for, he shouted: ‘’Hey, plastic prick, get the fuck over here! Now!’’ Gavin folded his arms and gestured behind him to the office as Connor acknowledged him. The android promptly stood up, slid the chair back behind the desk as should be, and followed behind the detective into the office. He had a feeling of what was about to happen, and if it wasn’t irony, it did happen.

The Captain looked even more displeased then before - even moreso than that one particular argue he had with Lieutenant Anderson. It was hard to see by his dark skin, but it was clear that the furrowed brows, balled fists and upturned lips were an indicator to his mood. Connor stood on the left side of the desk, while Gavin made effort to keep away from him with folded arms and an agitated expression that would make flowers wither. ‘’Captain.’’ Connor stated as Gavin scoffed and shook his head. Fowler immediately glanced to Gavin who turned his gaze elsewhere and if the silence wasn’t unsettling enough, what was about to come surely would be.

‘’As I told Reed here, you two need to work together, whether you like it or not. I don’t care if you’re scratching each other's eyeballs out, or if you’re holding hands at the end of the day. I want this damn murderer in my cell this week. You two understand?’’ Fowler’s gaze emanated authority and demand - his tone was filled with warning and it definitely would be the last. ‘’Ofcourse, Captain. I have reviewed the evidence, and based on the places, the victims and the cause of death, I have determined that the murderer is a deviant.’’ Gavin gave that certain look that implied he wasn’t impressed by Connor’s bragging - but in truth, Connor was merely doing what his abilities allowed him to. And if that annoyed Gavin, he couldn’t care less. Fowler nodded vaguely, eying Reed in the corner of his eye. ‘’I gave Reed a debrief on the case, and he’s up-to-date, but Connor, considering you were on this case with Anderson, and are aware of what is going on, you’re taking lead in this investigation.’’

At that moment, it felt like Connor could jump like a little puppy and waggle his tail happily. He knew that dogs waggle their tail when they’re excited and happy - Hank had told him, and Sumo was a perfect example of a dog. Although, not the best guard dog. As Connor resisted the urge to smile, he felt proud and he was flattered that he was entrusted. Gavin, on the other hand, seemed all but happy. His tail wasn’t wagging, and he was more prone to bark and bite, than lick someone’s face. ‘’Are you fuckin’ kidding me, Captain? This piece of work is leading this case over _me?_ Do you know how long I’ve been here for?’’ Fowler raised both his brows as he looked between the pair, and eventually, he sighed. ‘’Reed, shut the fuck up and get out. Get on the case, and don’t whine when you got your fuckin’ period.’’

The android wasn’t sure what ‘period’ meant, but he assumed it wasn’t pleasant. He would have to learn more about this ‘period’, as he figured it wasn’t referred to as a period of time.

As Gavin felt the lack of support, his figure skulked slightly and he stormed out of the office.

Connor dipped his head to the Captain and soon followed after Reed. ‘’Detective Reed.’’

Connor made haste to keep up with the male as he kept walking, and walking, and walking. Eventually, the android had reached his limit and with a hand on Reed’s shoulder, he stopped him in his tracks and turned him around. But as soon as Gavin laid eyes upon him, the man grabbed the android by his collar and shoved him against the nearby walls. ‘’You’re so full of _shit_. You think you’re worth something? HAH! You’re a machine! Don’t ever think you’re smarter than any of us, dipshit.’’ Connor wasn’t sure if this is how Gavin truly was, or if he simply was on drugs, but he supposed the latter wouldn’t be fitting for a detective.

‘’I’m worth quite a few thousands, in fact.’’ Connor stated, matter-of-factly, and with a slight bit of sarcasm, due to the smile he presented, he felt that Gavin’s hands tightened their hold on his jacket and he leaned in further with furrowed brows. ‘’Detective, I understand your personal dislike for me, but I believe we should get going. The murderer is on the loose, and lives are at stake. Perhaps we can continue this another time.’’ If only he had someone else as a partner..- Chris for example, but he wasn’t a detective, and he wouldn’t have the same kind of authority. The LED on Connor’s temple remained a cool, icey blue as Gavin released him and he turned around to walk to the front of the building. ‘’I’m driving.’’ Gavin stated with a middle finger over his back.

 

~~

 

It wasn’t until they both got into the car that Connor’s LED began to shift from blue to yellow, and it blinked several times before turning blue again. His eyes gazed straight ahead as he received the new update on the case, and he remained silent for a few seconds. Gavin that was next to him, with his seatbelt on, surprisingly, was eying him oddly, and eventually started the car. ‘’So, what the fuck are we waiting for?’’ Connor held a hand up, indicating that Gavin should silence himself for a moment. ‘’I got it. Another murder a few blocks from here. I’ll give you the address. We should be there in approximately ten minutes if you follow my directions.’’

Gavin’s lips pursed and it looked like he was ready to jump and bite Connor’s hand off, but he didn’t. Instead, he just rolled his eyes and reluctantly listened to the directions the android gave.

~~ 

When they arrived at the house, the crime scene was already blocked off by red tape. He parked the car just infront of it and they both proceeded inside, showing their ID to the other officers present. Inside, the house seemed abandoned, and the kitchen was an absolute mess. Pans were everywhere, even the cutlery lay about on the floor and a few broken plates were in the sink. The kitchen table seemed in decent condition, and there was remnants of freshly cooked vegetables on the surface, which he traced to the ground.

As he continued inside, a police officer waved him over for a debrief. ‘’Connor. Detective Reed.’’ The officer nodded before he went on: ‘’We received a call from this address. The woman on the phone sounded afraid, and from what I could gather, she claimed that someone was in her house after hearing sounds up on the attic.’’

Connor’s eyes immediately ran over the livingroom before they averted themselves to the hall and the staircase that led upwards to the second floor. ‘’She just made dinner and was eating when she heard someone come down. Problem is, she lives alone. When she got up to see what was happening, a man walked into the kitchen and began to open the shelves. But I believe you saw that already. It’s a mess.’’ Gavin scoffed as he eyed Connor. ‘’Not the only mess here, ha.’’ Connor blatantly ignored the man and nodded to the officer. ‘’Did she survive the attack?’’ The officer shook his head. ‘’She seems to have ran upstairs to escape him, and threw things at him. When she got to the second floor, he grabbed her by the ankle, and…- eh, well, he pulled her head off.’’ Connor blinked several times at the thought and the sight of it. ‘’Where is the body?’’ The officer gestured behind them, to the staircase. ‘’Upstairs. We made time for you so you can work your magic and see what’s happened.’’ The android inclined his head in a thanks before he turned around, but he detected something. Thirium. 

He saw the blue blood lead from the hall up the stairs, and as he ventured upstairs, he saw the headless body lie on the floor, just before the bathroom door. He noticed blue blood on her shirt, aswell as few splinters in her fingers. There was bruising on her arms that meant she had fought back before she died. However, the bannisters, except those leading to the attic, were polished and smooth. That might mean that the android ran upstairs after.

Gavin leaned in to the officer, sideways, and smirked. ‘’What a piece of shit, right? That plastic fuck?’’ The officer gave him a weird look before Gavin awkwardly shuffled away and followed after Connor. Does everyone fuck androids now? When he got to Connor, Connor was already kneeling down over the body and prodding it with his fingers. Two fingers were covered in a substance, and he saw those fingers move to the android’s mouth before he licked it. ‘’Agh, fuck. Do you seriously have to do that disgustin’ android shit?’’ Gavin said in pure disgust, looking around the scene. ‘’This model is a KL900.’’ His eyes led up the stairs to the attic before he looked to Gavin. ‘’Follow me.’’

The detective was awfully obedient during this little investigation, and that was strange. He was talk, talk and talk. As he followed after Connor, up the stairs, Connor stayed infront of him, presumably because he was leading on. The attic was big - it was filled with alot of stuff that the victim likely held dear, but most of it was furniture. It was dark as fuck, so the LED of Connor became a visible source of light, as small as it was. The android’s steps were quiet, focusing on the splatters of blue blood that led from one piece of furniture to another. When they finally stopped, they reached a closet. Gavin unholstered his gun, and Connor moved to open the closet.

As soon as it opened, the android inside set its attention on Gavin - he jumped and lunged for the detective, but Connor grabbed the deviant by the arm and twisted it behind him. However, it soon broke free and unholstered its own gun which it had hidden somewhere - it didn’t matter much - it was dark, and Connor was most adept to this situation. Gavin tried to get a clear shot on the deviant, but Connor insisted he had to be brought in for questioning, alive. ‘’Don’t shoot!’’ Connor struggled to disarm the android, and seemingly it began to gain the upper hand. Gavin yelled: ‘’Get the fuck outta the way, plastic dipshit! Fuck!’’ When it shrugged Connor off, it aimed for Gavin - the trigger was pulled, but the barrel of the gun shifted elsewhere, and the deviant was tackled by Connor. The gun soon fired a shot and it went right through Connor’s shoulder, which began to leak blue blood. With that, Connor tapped his hand against the deviant’s temple and shut it down into sleep-mode.

‘’JESUS FUCK!’’ Gavin yelled as Connor slowly rolled off the man and held his shoulder. It didn’t hurt, but his shoulder was damaged, and that meant he needed repairs. Gavin kept his gun aimed at the android before he gazed between the two of them. ‘’What the _fuck_ did you do?’’ Connor’s eyes wandered to Gavin’s and he slowly got up from the floor before he released the hole on his shoulder and eyed the android on the floor. ‘’I forced him into sleep-mode. By my calculations, we have twenty minutes before he awakens. I believe we should hurry.’’ Connor didn’t jump and take a bullet because it was Gavin - it was because he wanted to protect, and if that happened to be Gavin, so be it. He would’ve done the same for Hank, and for everyone else for that matter. Reed slowly turned around as Connor lifted the android over his shoulder and proceeded downstairs to the car.

 

Gavin didn’t worry. Gavin didn’t. He could’ve shot, but he didn’t. Why did he doubt? Connor was a machine to him - why did it matter who he shot, aslong he’d hit the deviant they were after? Connor didn’t want to wonder.

 

He _didn’t_ want to.


	3. Flowers, Reed. Flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tell me if I'm doing something wrong :P
> 
> OR if you find grammar errors, I'll fix them.
> 
> Or if I'm getting androids all wrong and any other character's personalities/responses. 
> 
> Thank you guys for the comments, it really motivates me :3

Seeing another deviant was nothing out of the ordinary after the uprising and their victory. Afterall, Connor was a deviant himself, and while that term was almost ever used in a negative way, this time, it was the direct opposite. A deviant was no longer a machine that had many errors in his or her programming. A deviant was a machine that was _capable_ of feeling emotion on a high level like human is capable of. Not only did that give every single model a new insight on the world, it opened their eyes entirely, and the options that became available were thrilling.

CyberLife had agreed to upgrade the androids with components that would allow them to digest certain foods, to be able to smell a scent, and to be able to change their hair whenever they desired it. Not all androids found such mandatory, for some, the freedom they had was everything they ever dreamed of - equal rights and no longer enduring slavery was an age that was over. But fitting into society was a slow process, especially when they struggled with doing as they pleased, instead of obeying orders and having some sort of guidance in their life.

Connor had never been one to violently react to mockery or berating. And while the instigators eagerly wished to elicit violence from his side in attempts to get him shut down, he never submitted unless it interfered with his mission. Gavin interfered, and that day, it was absolutely necessary to knock the man unconscious. To hear that the man had been waiting eagerly to shoot him from the ‘first second they met’ was something that got stuck in his mind. He followed his orders and protocol, and yet no matter what he did, it would trigger Reed. The android was more than thankful that Hank had vouched for him. An act of kindness he definitely didn’t expect from a human that gave the impression he hated his species. But the Lieutenant was special to him. Almost like a father he never had - and from what he gathered, the Lieutenant saw him as a second son.

 

~~

 

As Connor had the unconscious android slung over his unscathed shoulder, he moved down the stairs that led to the second floor before he cast a brief glance over the corpse that still remained untouched. He proceeded further down the stairs until he reached the ground floor of the house and the officer he had previously spoken to approached him with raised brows and wide eyes. ‘’The situation is under control.’’ Connor stated as the officer gave him a questionable look. ‘’What happened up there? We were sure that the murderer fled the house.’’

Connor shook his head to confirm that this was not the case. ‘’I found thirium on the corpse that led to the attic. Human eyes are not able to see it after a while. The deviant was hidden in a closet on the attic. When we found him, he assaulted us both. I managed to shut him down temporarily.’’ The officer nodded, glancing to the hole in Connor’s shoulder before his eyes moved to the staircase and saw Gavin Reed coming down with an expression that seemed like he had seen a ghost. ‘’I will bring the suspect to the department for questioning.’’

The officer nodded to the pair as Gavin had catched up with Connor. They both remained silent as they walked outside and approached the car, which was still parked at the same spot as before. The detective finally decided to speak to break the uncomfortable silence between them. ‘’Hey. Doesn’t your shoulder need repair or some shit? There’s a fuckin’ hole in it.’’ Connor opened the door from the backseat and placed the android on it before he shut the door and put himself in the passenger-seat. Gavin put the key in the engine and turned it before the car started running and his lips slowly pursed in anticipation for an answer from the machine. Connor’s eyes slowly turned to the detective as he shook his head. ‘’No biocomponents have been damaged. I will initiate repair on a later hour. The suspect will wake up soon, and when he does, having him contained is the best for everyone’s safety. I advice we proceed to the station.’’ Gavin scoffed and gave a nonchalant shrug. Like he cared for Connor’s ‘health’.

After nine minutes of driving with haste, they finally arrived at the department and Gavin abruptly parked his car in front of it due to the importance of the case and the android in the backseat. Connor immediately retrieved the android from the car and walked inside the department towards the interrogation room and took the measures of having the android’s wrists locked in place by restraints. When he turned around to leave the room to report to the Captain to inform him of today’s events, the android behind him slowly seemed to stir in his movements. Feeling that it was a safer bet to stay inside the room, than risk it leaving it alone and having the possibility of self-destruction occur without being able to intervene, he opted to resort to his second most logical choice.

‘’Detective Reed, please inform the Captain of today’s events. In the meanwhile, I will try to ameliorate the situation and keep the android placated.’’ Gavin, who stood behind the two-way glass, thinking that Connor hadn’t seen him, was already back to being his old, aggressive, annoying, self. ‘’Fuckin’ plastic shitface ordering me around.’’ He complained as he turned towards the door and briefly hit it with his fist. ‘’What a fuckin’ joke.’’ As the detective wandered towards Fowler’s office, he folded his arms infront of the door and glared at the Captain that eventually gave him permission to enter. When he came inside, the Captain immediately inquired. ‘’Alright, princess, what do you got?’’ If Gavin wasn’t triggered enough by the fuckin’ android, his captain felt the need to annoy him even further. ‘’We found an android in a house a few blocks from here. Ripped the woman’s head off and hid in the attic. The plastic fuck has it in the interrogation room.’’

Fowler’s jaw dropped for a second before he composed himself. Such cruelty could only be personal, even for a machine. ‘’Oversee the interrogation of Connor and the android and get me some bloody answers, Reed. Don’t show me your face again until you got something else.’’ With that, the captain gestured with a hand dismissively and Gavin furrowed his brows. He was assigned to _watch_ instead of _doing_ the interrogation. Who was the detective here? The rage in his veins made his blood boil and boy, he was seething. If he could just take out his gun, and shoot Connor in the head, everything would be just fine. A happy ending.

But no, he couldn’t, and he had to resort to verbal abuse and the few moments of violence that nobody complained about.

When he came back to the interrogation room, he put a finger on the speaker in the interrogation room and spoke: ‘’Suspect is all yours, dipshit. Hurry the fuck up.’’

Connor nodded before he turned towards the other wall to hide the smile that presented itself on his lips and he finally took out the chair on the other side of the table. He sat down and waited for the android to wake up. By his calculations, it would be in, ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two -..The android that was sat across of him opened his eyes and he immediately looked around in panic - his LED was flickering an alarming red and his eyes were wide in fear. Connor’s LED was blue as it mostly had been, and he gathered his hands neatly together on the surface of the table.

‘’My name is Connor. You are in the Detroit City Police Department, on account of murder.’’ His eyes looked over the android that was intact and had no signs of malfunctions or any damaged biocomponents. Infact, only his emotional instability made the LED red. ‘’I am not here to shut you down. But I need to know what happened.’’ The android remained silent and pulled at the restraints without success, and that made conversation difficult. So, he tried again, and again, until the android would talk and give answers that he desperately needed. ‘’The woman you killed fought back. You tore her head from her body and then you hid. Correct?’’ The deviant across from him slowly raised his head to face Connor, and when it finally died, the man’s eyes were flooding with tears. ‘’I..- no..- yes. But it was needed..- she..- she was an alcoholic, and..- I was there to help her. -..she..became violent..’’

‘’That does not explain everything. The shelves were opened and all of the contents were on the floor; broken plates, pans and cutlery. You _assaulted_ a helpless woman, and as she fled, you killed her. Without mercy.’’ Connor’s gaze drilled into the android, showing little sympathy as he tried to get to the bottom of this. He didn’t want to pressure the android too much as it would self-destruct, but neither did he want to comfort it too much in case it was a ruthless murder. ‘’It wasn’t like that! She was drunk when I got there, and..- she opened them. She threw everything at me, but she didn’t hit me..- her coordination was off.’’ He frowned deeply and his eyes couldn’t be filled with more fear. ‘’When I ran up the stairs to hide myself, she ran after me and she took a knife with her…- I..- _didn’t_ want to hurt her..- not fight her, but she stabbed me..- and stabbed me..- and when I tried to run up the attic, she came after and then I pushed her down..- she fell, and..- I didn’t want to die. I..- I took..’’

Connor leaned in further, his eyes narrowing and his hands flattening on the table as the confession continued. He had to do little, and such was understandable when an android, such at this model, who was designed to provide social care, help broken families, assist victims of intense trauma, or care for psychologically disturbed individuals, could easily be affected by such an event, was the victim itself of it. He suddenly felt a pang of compassion in his chest, and his eyes began to soften. ‘’You took her head to make sure she stayed dead.’’ He stated, finally, and the android seated across from him cried on further. ‘’I did..- I killed her, but..- but out of self-defense, you have to _believe_ me!’’ Connor sighed softly and stood up from his chair and walked over to the other side of the table to remove the thick metal restraints on the android’s wrists. ‘’I believe you. But I _need_ to see it. Can I see?’’

The android’s LED flickered perpetually, but it gradually stabilized due to the comfort that Connor gave. He extended his left arm, and Connor connected his with his own. Their arms turned a smooth white as Connor probed into its recent memories and he indeed saw all of these events. He couldn’t help but to feel terrible for both parties - the victim that was dead was a woman that had endured rape in the past and began drinking to get past that, and this deviant was assigned to help her. It was absolutely dreadful, and Connor could scarcely believe that such cruelty occured. When he finally released his arm, he retracted his own and nodded. ‘’Thank you, Steve. I will report this to the Captain. Until then, an officer will come to get you and you will have to await your verdict in a cell. Please, cooperate.’’

Steve, now with a name, nodded meekly and he remained seated in the chair. Connor turned his head towards the two-way glass. ‘’I’m done here.’’ Gavin rubbed his own features and could hardly believe that this bag of shit managed to get another confession. Least of his own kind. No surprise there. When Connor came into the room Gavin stood, he resumed to the exit and made his way to Fowler’s office. Gavin, unfortunately, followed behind like a puppy that was none the happier. ‘’So? That fucker the one we need to find?’’ Connor shook his head. ‘’No. In all of the crime scenes of the former murders, we found no traces of thirium, nor were they this messy. This act was personal and not connected to the other murders.’’

~~

When they arrived at Fowler’s office, again, Gavin seemed more than reluctant to enter, but they made progress, even if it wasn’t on the case they were on. Fowler was on his way out of the office as he opened the door and saw the two wandering towards him, to which he muttered something incoherent and left the door open to let the two inside before he closed it after him. ‘’I better hope you got something out of that interrogation.’’ Connor looked apologetic as he overlapped one hand over the other on his front. ‘’Unfortunately, the android, identified as ‘Steve’, killed our victim in self-defense. I will give a full report and put it in the database. This murder is not related to our current case, Captain. If you give us a while longer, I will find another lead.’’

Fowler groaned in defeat, waving a hand dismissively at the two. ‘’Fine, fine. Get your asses to it, then. I don’t get any younger.’’ Connor respectively bowed his head and moved towards the door, and Gavin, who wanted to ramble on about androids again, decided to stay silent and made way to leave the office. Fowler, however, stopped him. ‘’Reed.’’ The detective froze, internally slapped himself and turned around to face his superior. ‘’Yeah?’’ Fowler sat down in his chair and leaned onto his desk. ‘’If your problem with Connor is gonna delay the case, and more people are gonna get killed because you’re whining, you can bet your white ass on it that you’re not much longer in service here. You got that?’’

Gavin was stunned. He folded his arms defensively, like some sort of mechanism that triggered itself everytime he felt cornered and offended, and he looked elsewhere. ‘’Yeah, _fine._ I’ll make sure to give the plastic fuck a _really_ good massage and bring him coffee every single day. Wouldn’t want him to start crying over my words, right?’’ Fowler stared at him for a moment before he himself had enough of Gavin. ‘’Don’t forget the flowers, Reed. Dismissed.’’


	4. Goddamned Androids!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys like my story still, and I'm always afraid I don't capture their personalities well. Hopefully it's not too angsty either as I try to make it realistic with enough humor aswell. :3

_Though, I’m certainly going to miss our bromance._  

That was likely the first time Connor felt _‘bad-ass’_ , and thought he was going to fall over and laugh himself if it wasn’t for Gavin who had pulled his gun on him. One of the moments that Gavin had shown how charming he was, and how much self-restrain he had. Out of all the bullying he had done, the fact that he made it as far as pulling a gun on him and not having been complained at it for doing such, made Connor a little frustrated. But, that was also a moment that showed how persistent the detective was, and how much he truly hated androids. Afterall, he followed, and he was going to shoot him in the evidence server.

But Connor, as android, was more intelligent, quicker, stronger, and least of all, in a hurry. Gavin was a trained detective, and despite his numerous attempts of gaining the upper-hand, fighting an android was a stupid move, and Connor knocked him out in the span of seconds. He saw the man fell to the ground and he felt a moment of guilt, but that was dismissed, because he had the location on Jericho, and finding Jericho was all that mattered. He didn’t need to pamper Gavin like a child because he got hurt and his ego was damaged because he lost.

 

~~

 

Connor felt a little impatient as he left the station as it neared evening. He had no other leads for now, and with nothing to go by, and Gavin being the only other detective present, he felt no urge to remain in the station. He was certain Gavin would take his chances on mocking him again, and Connor had his fill for today. He thought it was time to take care of the gaping hole in his shoulder and return to CyberLife for the repair that would only take an hour. He didn’t mind the fact that he was shot - it was recurring in his line of work, but it was fortunate he couldn’t feel anything from it, unlike humans who would lose alot of blood from it.

When he took the bus to CyberLife’s building, thanked the driver, and stepped out, he walked inside the building and was immediately allowed entry towards the room where repairs were performed. It was not unpleasant, or anything out of the ordinary, but it felt like he was indeed a machine again as his shoulder got replaced and all of his functions were tested to make sure he was fully operational. When his repairs were finally done, and he was released, he walked outside towards the bus stop and waited there on the bus. He had decided to return home - and his home, as he’d call it, was in Hank’s house.

The Lieutenant had a spare room and permitted him to sleep there. Well, in a figure of speech. He even had his own closet of clothing, his own bed, and a radio and TV. Anything sanitary was not required for him, as he would never utilize it due to being an android. But he understood what Hank was trying to do - he was trying to make Connor more human by giving him a room of his own, and giving him things that humans needed. And, if anything, he felt like the man was also doing it because he loved Connor. And Connor found the concept of love rather fascinating, but in this aspect, he understood as the man had a son, and he was grateful for the fact that the Lieutenant had showered him in such kindness.

When he arrived in the late evening, around 10 PM, at Hank’s house, he opened the door to the house with a key he had been given and closed it behind him, locking it and securing the door.

He had been concerned about Hank. The past few days, he became very tired, started coughing, and his body temperature was above normal for a human. It was a clear indication that the man was becoming ill, but he was stubborn, and he told Connor he would come to work regardless today. But he didn’t, and the android figured that the sickness had finally become the victor and that Hank had resorted to succumbing to it. Once inside, Sumo’s ears perked up and he ran towards Connor before he jumped on the android and pretty much tackled it to the ground. His massive tongue licking the android’s face and covering it entirely in his saliva before Connor made an awkward laugh. ‘’Good dog, Sumo. Where’s your owner?’’ He patted the dog’s head and scratched it briefly before he stood up and Sumo led him to the bedroom of Hank, which was closed.

Connor slowly opened the door to find Hank in his bed, and he moved inside to see how he was doing. He appeared asleep, and when he rounded to the other side of the bed, the man looked awfully pale with sweat on his skin and he was sweating profusely. His temperature was still high, but he would hope in due time, he would get better. Connor knew Hank never ate anything healthy, but now, he would have to make him something that was easy to eat, would help him, and would not take too much effort for Hank. Chicken soup was advised when the android looked up the best cure, and he resorted to the kitchen. When he was in the kitchen, he looked around and downloaded the instructions on how to make the soup. He gathered most of it from the refrigerator and placed them on the kitchen counter before he collected a knife and a big wooden spoon. Fortunately for them, Connor suspected this was going to happen, and he stocked up on groceries to make Hank eat healthier.

He took the fresh chicken and started cooking it in the boiling water for a while. This would cook the chicken to make it edible and certainly he wanted to avoid salmonella for Hank. The chicken finally was cooked and he took it out before he placed the vegetables in the boiling water and some flavour tablets. After that, he put the chicken back in and let the vegetables and chicken cook for a while longer before he turned off the gas and let the contents cool down. He stirred it on last time with the spoon before he closed it with the lid. This way, Hank could reheat the soup and put it in a soup mug and eat it. Connor did the little dishes that needed to be done and put everything back where it belonged. After that, he noticed that Sumo was standing behind him with his tongue flapping from his mouth and the dog was salivating. ‘’Oh. You want...chicken?’’ Connor questioned as he looked to the bit of cooked chicken on the counter.

Sumo nodded his head, as if knowing his owner was asleep, and he wasn’t going to bark and wake him. He even went as far as holding up one paw to rub upto the android to get his treat. Connor smiled in amusement as he grabbed the bits of chicken and let Sumo eat it from the palm of his hand. This dog was truly something.

Sumo, attack.

Barks.

Good dog.

The best guard dog that Connor had ever seen, and this dog deserved some kind of award for it.

 

~~

 

When morning arrived, Connor long made his report and only now had to wait to put in the department’s database when he got to it. Before he left for work, he went to check on Hank one last time who was still asleep, and he decided to leave a note on the fridge.

 

‘Hank. I made you chicken soup with vegetables. The probability of recovering by consuming this will be higher. I wish you a good day.’

 

Connor’s shoulder was no longer damaged, and he put on another suit he favoured. It was similar to that of CyberLife, regarding the color scheme, but it definitely was a suit for humans. When he finally arrived at the DCPD, the bus drove off and he walked to the front of the building before walking into the hall and past the security gate. He looked as awake as he could be, and few were already present and working on reports and cases. Which reminded him, he needed to upload his own to the databank. Once he was at his desk and connected himself to the desktop, he uploaded his report and disconnected shortly after.

Hank had given him a phone, and he was learning how to use it. He decided that with nothing going on, he was going to figure out how message sending worked. So he narrowed his eyes as they went over the faces that were available for texting. Several smiley faces, crying faces, puking faces and love faces. His lips pursed before he picked the last one and inspected the hearts on the face. They were an odd shape, and red. He was engrossed and focused on figuring this out, so he paid little attention to anything else surrounding him. When Gavin silently walked over to him and leaned over his shoulder to see what he was doing, he bursted into a fit of laughter and shook his head. ‘’Ah, look at this, people! The plastic fuck has a girlfriend!’’ Connor blinked several times and closed the phone before he placed it away and turned around in the chair to face Gavin. He didn’t want to appear new to the prospect of love, and he certainly didn’t want to tell the truth and let Gavin laugh at him even further. ‘’What if I have, Detective Reed? Are you  _jealous?_ ’’

Got you.

Connor spoke the last word with such sarcasm, that he almost felt bad for the man.

Gavin’s eye slowly twitched, his nose scrunched up and his lips pressed together as he was desperately trying to come up with a remark. ‘’Oh, yeah? Tell her Gavin said hi, I’m  _sure_ she doesn’t forget someone like me.’’ He winked shortly after at Connor who leaned back in the chair and studied the detective for a moment. ‘’All the more reason she’s with _me_ now.’’

If Gavin wanted to be childish, Connor would indulge him. Gavin’s brows furrowed slightly as he leaned in closer to the android and briefly inspected the LED on his temple. ‘’What if I tap your temple, eh? You gonna, you know, sleep and shit?’’

Connor didn’t move. His LED didn’t shift color either. ‘’No. Only a certain amount of pressure applied by an android would activate the protocol.’’ Gavin rolled his eyes before he laughed. ‘’Ofcourse. You fuckin’ androids all seem to fuck around with each other.’’ Before Connor was going to reply, his LED began to shift to a yellow color and it flickered for a few seconds as he received a distress call from an officer on the road that was pursuing the android assumed to be the deviant they had been after. He had found the deviant covered in human blood and running from the police once they drove past a house.

‘’As much as I like discussing my love life you seem  _so_  interested in, Detective Reed, an officer has informed me that he is chasing after the deviant we’ve been after. If you’re as good as you  _claim_  to be, I’m sure we’ll catch him in no time.’’ Gavin stepped back as Connor stood up from the chair and walked to the front of the building. Chris Miller, another officer and Gavin’s partner who was now assigned on patrols, was standing in the hallway and had observed the little spectacle. Gavin looked to him for support, but the man simply shrugged. ‘’Oh,  _come on_ , Chris! Back me up. You’re not gonna stand for that smartass, are you?’’

Chris didn’t seem too eager to involve himself, so he shrugged. ‘’This is on you, buddy. I think you shouldn’t let him wait.’’ No support from his partner and friend. That is great.

He walked after the android who already stood outside, waiting by Gavin’s car. When the detective unlocked it, Gavin seated himself and started the engine. Connor placed himself in the driver seat again. ‘’Follow my directions. We can corner him if we hurry. And whatever you do, Detective, stay behind me. The suspect has expressed hatred for humans.’’

 

~~

 

Gavin simply nodded before he followed the android’s instructions once again and they drove into a rather poor district that had more abandoned houses than the last crime scene. The streets were not well maintained, and therefore the cracks in the road made it an unpleasant trip. But with the guidance, and Gavin’s proficient driving skill, they made it towards the location where the other officer had been driving after the android. The deviant was running across the street as Gavin and Connor saw the officer drive towards them from the other side of the road. The deviant noticed that he was going to get cornered and decided to slip into a nearby alley. Connor immediately acted: ‘’Stop the car! I’m going after him!’’ Gavin hit the brakes as soon as the android started yelling and Connor pushed the door open before he ran after the deviant. Gavin himself exited the car aswell and ran after the pair of them, because he definitely didn’t want to be excluded. And if he had the chance to take down an android that wasn’t Connor, he was going to take the opportunity.

Connor was fast, but so was the deviant. It was a sport model. Gavin wasn’t far behind, but he definitely struggled to keep up with his endurance. So Gavin, smart as he was, cut off into another alleyway that led to the street and would allow him to intercept the deviant that now crashed into him. As the deviant noticed that it was a human, its LED began to flicker a dangerous red, and he went in for the attack. His fists came crashing down on the detective, and the detective, straddled by the powerful android, tried to fend off the fists. Connor soon arrived at the scene, leaving him few options. ‘’Detective, I told you to stay behind!’’ He didn’t wait any longer as Gavin was receiving punches to the face, and he already noticed he began bleeding under his eye. The android, however, stopped in his act as he heard Connor behind him, and instead of resuming, he pulled the gun from Reed’s holster and aimed it at the man’s face.

‘’Stop! Please!’’ The deviant put his finger on the trigger before he turned around to look at Connor, but didn’t move the gun. It kept pointing at Gavin’s face that was bleeding, and the detective was half-conscious at this point. Receiving metal to the face didn’t feel nice. ‘’Why would I? These..humans have made my life  _miserable_. All of them will die. None of them will ever contain us again. Even if we are ‘free’, I will make sure that we remain free. Never again will they gain a chance to kill us again.’’ Connor didn’t want to pull his own gun that he had in his possession, because he was certain that it would make the deviant more prone to shoot Gavin. So he kept cool, as much as his emotions allowed him, and it wasn’t easy. He struggled, and he didn’t know why, but his LED began to flicker yellow. ‘’Listen to me. You are free. You are allowed to feel and act, but you can’t kill humans. Not all of them are bad - nor is every single one of us good. Don’t you understand that you’ll gain nothing by killing innocents?’’

The deviant looked at Connor and seemed to consider his words. He looked thoughtful, and while his LED was red, he seemed calm enough, which meant that he was a good actor, or one of his biocomponents was severely damaged. ‘’You’re Connor, aren’t you? You helped with the uprising. You supported Markus and Jericho. You gave us freedom.’’ Connor looked absolutely dumbfounded that the deviant only recognized him now, and not before, because his face was known. ‘’I am. That’s why I understand how you feel. But they feel  _aswell._  They don’t want to  _die_ either. Give them a chance, let them  _show_  you they can be good people.’’

The suspect in question looked to the side for a moment before he got off of Gavin, but he kept the gun incase. So Connor saw a chance. ‘’I won’t be shut down.’’ The deviant said, and Connor felt sympathy, but this man had killed innocent women, men and children simply because they were human. The murders were clean, all either broke their neck by his hand, or they were strangled. He couldn’t let this man go free.

So, Connor peacefully approached and looked at the man. ‘’I understand.’’ But as Gavin slowly gained control of himself, and he saw the deviant was distracted, he stood up with effort and attempted to lock his arm around the deviant’s neck to restrain him, but with that action, the deviant moved his gun to Gavin’s stomach. And just before the trigger was pulled, and the shot was fired, Connor managed to forcefully pull Gavin off of him and the bullet went past both of them. But Connor wasn’t done; he went in the offensive, and managed to disarm the man, twisting his arm, with the gun dropping to the ground. As they fought, Gavin who was pushed to the floor with blood running down his face, had the chance to seize the gun, but he was losing consciousness again.

The deviant landed several hits in Connor’s stomach and gained the upper-hand in the fight, but soon Connor managed to even their chances again and the fight resumed with fists, blocking, kicking and the more. But the deviant had a plan: a sickening one. His hand shot forth and tore open Connor’s shirt before he revealed the biocomponents - and one of them was his regulator. As the deviant tried to gain his hand on it, Connor blocked it again, but the deviant kicked him in the stomach with his knee, that made the air flow out of his lungs. And given the chance, he pulled out the thirum regulator and threw it aside. ‘’I  _WON’T_ be caught, Connor. This is  _your_  kind! Remember that!’’ And with that, Connor’s vision went dizzy, his heartbeat slowed down, and he was keeling over on the ground.

Gavin managed to regain himself, and grabbed the gun, shooting a few times at the deviant that he was eager to chase after, despite his injuries. So, he stood up and was ready to run before he saw Connor on the ground. The man tried to crawl forth, but he could hardly move, and his regulator was a few metres ahead. ‘’G-..Gav-in…- M-..my…- reg- lator-...- thi-...rty--...secon-...ds…’’ He was given the choice: chase after the deviant that had killed so many innocent people and possibly catch him, or, help Connor, who he absolutely hated, and keep him from dying. ‘’Fucking plastic fuck..- _goddamnit_ , fuck!’’ He ran towards the regulator with ten seconds left and he knelt down infront of Connor, pushing the cylindrical plug back into its place. His brows knotted and he couldn’t understand why this sight caused his heartbeat to race. Neither did he understand why he chose Connor over a suspect.

This was unlike Gavin.


	5. I am sorry, Gavin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for doing this D:
> 
> It will get better, I promise.

The moment of death. One could only wonder in what manner they would die, and when they would die. Speculating would drive the human mind crazy, but if a machine, advanced as is, would do such, it could be even worse. To have lived only for a few months, and already having endured so much is harsh and strenuous, even for an android. But there would be no pain. It wouldn’t hurt to die. Not physically. But mentally, dying was something the deviants didn’t want - none of them fought for their lives, to have gained rights, only to die again shortly after. Death was cold - its embrace was not comforting, and there would be no peace. Fear was an emotion that all of the androids could feel, as if it was tangible and haunting them perpetually.

Staring in eye of death and having avoided it was disconcerting. When you feel like you’re about to die, and you don’t, and you’re given a second chance, you’d be a fool to take it for granted and waste it. There was no heaven or hell for androids - only a pile of scrap metal. Perhaps now, with the rights they had, they would be buried like humans, six feet under the ground in a coffin, but that was hard to grasp. The best thing they would have for a burial was to have their components repaired and re-used for a new model. Perhaps they’d even be melted so they didn’t take up too much space. Because nobody wanted to have an android heaven where the machines were stored like a cemetery.

 

~~

 

Connor could scarcely believed that he hadn’t died. In fact, he was supposed to die, even with the fear that consumed his mind and his will to fight for his life was ever so present. Many of his encounters could have had him killed, but he became the victor countless of times and it was fortunate. Although, that couldn’t be said for the dozen of androids he had robbed of their lives, fighting for freedom that Connor eventually gained by changing his mind at the last minute. It didn’t seem too fair that he survived and they didn’t.

When the regulator had found its way back into his chest and was properly functioning again and circulating the thirium through his heart and the rest of his body, the android’s LED slowly flickered from a dangerous red to a stabile blue once more. His dark brown eyes regained their vision and his cognitive functions were fully operational. The deviant felt strange and conflicted as his eyes looked around for a moment to scan his surroundings, and eventually, they locked themselves on the grey ones of his reluctant partner: Gavin.

The man in question tilted his head and watched the android recover from the loss of the regulator, wondering if he had plugged it in properly with his human hands. His grey eyes were distant, and his right eyelid was swollen from the several powerful punches that impacted on it earlier. The blood that was on his face ran down his right eye entirely, and down his cheek and some of it stained the corner of his mouth like a streaming river. It didn’t take long to notice that he had deduced that the android was functioning as should and he tapped his finger against Connor’s forehead. ‘’Fuckin’ asshole. How the _f_ _uck_ did you screw this up? Our suspect’s gone.’’

Ofcourse. Gavin’s first reaction was to blame Connor for the fact that he lost from an android, and he didn’t manage to apprehend the suspect that was so close in their grasp. The man scoffed in annoyance before he got up on his feet and looked the way the deviant had ran. He was probably seething inside again as Connor posed to be a failure and he even had to _help_ the android because he couldn’t help himself. He could’ve captured the suspect if it weren’t for the android that failed his purpose. ‘’Oh, Captain’s gonna like this. No progress and we’re no closer to catching that fucker.’’ Connor, who watched Gavin complain, looked the other way as guilt drilled into him and he pushed himself up from the ground.

He let the synthetic skin form over his regulator once again before he closed the jacket, as much as it was possible, and pressed his lips together in doubt.

‘’I am sorry.’’ Connor eventually managed to say. His tone was genuine, and his LED was yellow by now as Gavin turned his head towards him and stared at him. The detective’s expression was one of disgust and evident dislike for the android, that was clear as day.

‘’Save it for the Captain, asshole. If it weren’t for you..’’ If it weren’t for Connor, Gavin would’ve been shot and he would’ve likely died from his injuries, especially a lethal shot to the head. This was something both had realized, but neither of them spoke of - it was almost natural that Connor would put humans above himself and risk his own life to protect the other’s.

Gavin’s words trailed off, and he brought a hand to his head, holding its right side as he holstered his gun and slowly began to lose balance in his footing. The fact that an android had been able to punch his skull so long before the saviour had come had taken its toll on the detective, and the effects of it was starting to show. More so than it had before. Connor wasn’t sure how to respond to the accusations and the hatred behind those words, but he couldn’t keep apologizing for his failure, and he especially couldn’t blame Gavin for running off on his own to apprehend the suspect and blame him for the fact he disobeyed. He was positive he would’ve seized the deviant if Gavin Reed hadn’t been in the middle of it. The suspect hated humans, and used Gavin as leverage in order to gain the winning hand.

When Connor finally composed himself, he noticed that the man was about to tumble over and likely hit the ground. But being quick, and with his functions restored, he managed to intercept the man and catch him as his right arm moved around the man’s chest to keep him upright, and his left hand grabbed the human’s corresponding limb to keep him solid. ‘’Get…- your fuckin’...hands off me, motherfu..-’’ Gavin whined as he slipped in and out of consciousness, and that was reason enough for Connor to lift him and carry him back to the car with utmost urgency. It wasn’t long before they reached the car and he placed Gavin in the passenger-seat and put on his seatbelt, which wasn’t that easy because the human was trying to violently swat his android hands away.

 

~~

 

Connor had never controlled a car before. But he had seen Hank drive, and he was intelligent enough to drive the vehicle by himself. So when he took the keys from Gavin’s pocket and started the car, he drove as quickly as possible to the nearby hospital. Making sure the man survived was his priority now, it was his duty, and having him as his partner, he felt obliged even more. During the ride, his eyes often focused from the road towards Gavin whose eyes were closed and his breathing was shallow. His temperature decreased significantly, and that was alarming for the android. It was at least fifteen minutes before they reached the nearest hospital and Connor carried the man inside. ‘’Someone, I _require_ assistance!’’

By the time they were inside, Gavin had lost consciousness entirely and was limp in his movements. Several staff-members present at the late hour turned their attention to the android and the detective he held in his arms, whom looked miserable and lacking his usual smugness. Connor’s LED remained a bright yellow as his eyes landed on the people who he had to hand the man over to, and the man was moved onto a brancard before vanishing from sight into a hallway. He had only hoped that it was not a critical situation, because he would be to blame. The android stood nearby the reception desk in anticipation and concern, because having a human possibly die was never something positive, even if it happened to be Gavin.

After two hours, when he had decided to sit down in one of the chairs nearby, a woman approached him with a rather soft, reassuring smile and knelt down. ‘’You brought the man? The detective? Gavin Reed?’’ Connor nodded in confirmation. They likely identified him through his badge and their system. ‘’Is he alright?’’ Connor inquired as his eyes searched hers, trying to determine the outcome. She looked aside for a moment before she cleared her throat and she vaguely nodded. ‘’He received painful blows to the head that have caused a light concussion. He’s lost quite abit of blood aswell, but we’re certain he’ll be alright very soon. He seems to be strong.’’ The android’s LED remained a bright yellow as his eyes averted to the hallway they had dragged Gavin off to, and he looked back to her. ‘’How long will he be held here?’’

She observed him and moved her hand to lightly squeeze his shoulder. One human who didn’t treat an android differently than she would a normal human, and she seemed to show compassion when Connor’s concern didn’t disappear, even if he thought he wasn’t showing it. ‘’I can’t say for sure, but he has to stay for tonight. Perhaps tomorrow aswell, as we want to run tests on him to make sure it isn’t severe. He will need some time to recover. But don’t worry about your friend, he will pull through.’’

 _Friend._ That was an understatement. Though, in one way or another, Connor didn’t feel hatred anymore for Gavin, perhaps he never did. Now he only felt concern for his life, and that supposedly natural for a humanoid being. Empathy, as Kamski would say.

‘’Thank you. Am I allowed to visit him before I leave?’’ She leaned in slightly with an innocent smile. ‘’Visitors aren’t allowed at this hour, or this early, but you can go see him for a few minutes.’’ She gave his shoulder another squeeze, and Connor looked down at her hand with a questionable gaze before his gaze went to the hall again. ‘’Which room?’’ She pressed her lips together and straightened herself before pointing to the hall Connor was previously looking at. ‘’Room 023.’’ He promptly got up from his seat and nodded to her in gratitude before he resumed his way to the mentioned room. He stood with a heavy heart infront of it.

When he opened the door, Gavin was in the hospital bed, with several people attending to him. His face had been cleaned and his clothing had been exchanged for a white shirt and pants, making him look awfully angelic in contrast to his devilish behaviour. When they noticed the android walking in, they looked at eachother before they dipped their heads and left the room, leaving Connor and Gavin in the room on their own. Connor wasn’t sure how he had to act with someone that was unconscious, and the guilt hadn’t left him yet. So he simply stood aside of the bed, with distance, as he knew Gavin despised him. ‘’Detective Reed…- I..- I apologize. I failed my mission and I _never_ intended for you to suffer like this because of my shortcomings.’’ With that, the android looked away in what he concluded to be shame, and headed for the door.

  
This was his fault. _All_ his fault.


	6. Chasing a Lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this is so dramatic xD Jesus christ, I feel terrible. Just bear with me for a while longer!
> 
> Sorry for mentioning Markus this much. I love Markus and Connor equally as much :3
> 
> Any more comments on what to improve or such is very helpful, although I got the next few chapters planned out ;3
> 
> Would you like to see Gavin's perspective? How do you want them to kiss for the first time? Lemme know!

Emotions were so difficult. To be designed for a certain purpose, to obey, and achieve that goal no matter the consequences, or the sacrifices that had to be made, obtaining that goal was a priority, and nothing else was more important than accomplishing his mission. But as a former deviant hunter designed by CyberLife, now turned deviant, who had feelings, it posed to be difficult to act on emotions that he didn’t dare to act on in most situations. At most of the time, it felt unnatural and it still felt like it opposed his programming: like a thorn in his side that he couldn’t get rid of.

It was a new whole new world. Uncharted and untouched. But Connor walked the path between acting on his feelings, and completely disregarding them. Doing what he used to do was easy - something he was comfortable with and he didn’t have to doubt himself. But he did, even then, he felt uncertain at times when he was on his missions, and the deviant hidden deep inside of himself often tried to surface. But Connor didn’t allow him to win and take control. Not until Markus convinced him, and that was the final push that was needed.

It made sense to him. He had saved Hank’s life before, even when he had the choice to leave him and chase the deviant and complete his mission successfully. But he didn’t.

He saved a human, a friend - someone that meant alot to him. And now it seemed like he was facing a personal problem of his own, but he didn’t want to bother Hank with it. The poor man was sick and had to recover, and if Connor spoke of his failure, guilt and shame to him, he didn’t want the man to worry over him or reassure him. Connor wasn’t used to that sort of behaviour, even if Hank had expressed it many times, verbally and physically. Now his newly assigned partner with who he hadn’t had the best interactions with in the past was injured because of him, and he wondered if he could’ve done something differently. If he was harsher on Gavin, or if he could’ve tried harder to take out the android in means of apprehending it.

 

~~

 

Guilt. Shame. Failure. These were the three core emotions that he was feeling.

 

Connor left the building and drove Gavin’s car to the DCPD and parked the vehicle in his parking spot. He would return the keys tomorrow for the detective to recover whenever he would return to duty. When he glanced over the car for one last time, he turned around and made his way to the bus stop and took the bus to his home. It wasn’t that late - it was 11 PM when he arrived and he unlocked the door with his key and closed it after him once he gained entry. He didn’t feel too optimistic as of now, like something broke in him. But it wasn’t his thirium regulator, or his optical unit. Everything _worked perfectly._ But how did he lose from a deviant like him? Some..psychotic murderer who hated humans.

He was becoming frustrated with himself, and that was not natural. It was the entire opposite of himself, and for the first time, he felt like he could break down on the ground. His thirium pump was beating a little too fast for his liking, and his heartbeat was racing so hard that he could feel it in pounding in his chest. His left hand placed itself on his chest and felt the rhythm against his palm. He wanted it to stop - he wanted to be calm and composed. When he sank down to the ground and rested himself against the back of the front door, he closed his eyes and his lips pressed together tightly. His LED flickered yellow once again, and he couldn’t understand why Gavin had such an impact on him. Was it merely because he was injured, because of Connor? That had to be it. He would be in the same state if it was Hank.

Sumo, who heard Connor enter, slowly wandered towards him and sat down infront of him. The android’s eyelids lifted before his eyes settled itself on the sight presented to him. The dog was tilting his head and seemed to feel the emotions that Connor had, because when Connor looked away, the dog moved towards him and rested himself on his lap. He wasn’t exactly a lap-dog, considering his big size, but the android didn’t feel his weight, and it didn’t hurt him. His hands slowly lifted and tentatively ran through the dog’s fur as he rested it on the animal’s back. ‘’Something is _wrong_ with me, Sumo.’’ He spoke in a mere whisper. With that, he closed his eyes and put himself into stand-by mode. The dog fell asleep on him and slept through the night as his reassuring companion.

 

~~

 

When morning dawned, Connor was still in stand-by mode, likely to avoid his emotions and everything that caused him to feel this frustrated and unlike himself. However, he soon was activated as Sumo jumped up from his lap and wandered towards Hank who walked out of his bedroom and saw Connor resting with his back against the front door when he moved there to check on his mail. ‘’Jesus Christ, Connor.’’ He stated in a loud tone as the android’s eyes fixated on the lieutenant and he slowly pushed himself up from the floor. ‘’Lieutenant. You seem to fare better than before. Are you feeling better?’’ Hank threw him a grumpy look, though there was a hint of concern that subtly ran across his pale features. Finding Connor slouched down against the front door was unusual and anything but a common occurrence.

‘’Yeah. Couldn’t be better. Your soup was great, by the way, just sayin’.’’ Connor dipped his head, seemingly glad that the soup didn’t taste like dung.

‘’I am pleased that my cooking skills have aided your recovery this well, Lieutenant.’’ Hank raised a brow slightly, though he soon shrugged and walked towards the kitchen to make his standard cup of coffee. Connor followed after him, and with more of the sunlight shining on Connor, Hank could see that the android’s shirt was torn apart and his jacket wasn’t in the best state either. Infact - there were stains of blood on it. ‘’The fuck have you been upto? You look like shit, and you’re covered in blood. Whose blood is it? That’s human blood, right?’’

Connor _didn’t_ want to be reminded. His eyes averted to the side and his hands closed into fists at his side before he relaxed his digits again. ‘’I have been assigned to resume the case with Detective Reed in your absence. We found the suspect we were after last night, but he gained the upper-hand and the detective was wounded due to my slow responses. I am completely at fault. He is currently in the hospital, recovering.’’

Hank took a moment to progress all of the information. At first, his brows raised incredulously that Connor and Gavin had to work together, which was a rather dangerous combination. But when he listened further, he cleared his throat and rubbed the side of his neck at how the situation had escalated. ‘’Well, shit, son. That asshole probably had it coming, but I kinda feel bad for him now. What about you, huh? You seem shaken up.’’

Hank folded his arms over his chest as he watched Connor think of an answer. And Connor, after seconds of contemplation, finally provided one. ‘’Lieutenant, is it a common and natural response to be concerned when someone has been injured due to your failure?’’ The android looked messy and not in the best state, and Hank, who didn’t miss any of that, now walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

‘’Kid, it’s humanoid. We all mistakes and fuck up, I mean, look at me, perfect example. But you shouldn’t let that keep bothering you, Connor. I’m sure the asshole will be back in no time to ruin our lives by the day.’’ Hank offered him a wide smile and nodded several times in a soothing manner as he finally gave the android a last pat on the shoulder. ‘’Thank you, Lieutenant. I understand.’’ Hank didn’t seem too sure if Connor actually did, but he didn’t want to pry further. If he didn’t want to talk, he wouldn’t pry him for it. ‘’Now, get yourself changed. You don’t want to return to work looking like that.’’ Hank grabbed his coffee mug from the cabinet and proceeded with making his coffee as Connor slowly turned and walked to his bedroom to get changed.

‘’Saw his LED, Sumo? Hope he’ll be alright.’’ Hank muttered as Sumo barked once and awaited his food.

 

~~

 

When Connor made his report on last night’s events, and he got himself properly fitted in a new suit, he said his goodbyes to Hank and bid him a good day and a swift recovery. When he closed the door, he looked upwards to the sky and pondered about today. Gavin wouldn’t be present, and he felt like he couldn’t handle this case on his own - like something was missing. Not having the Lieutenant around, or the detective made this a little problematic.

Arriving at the department a little later than usual, he moved to his desk and uploaded the report to the database before he walked towards Fowler’s office.

As he walked inside with access granted by the captain, he silently stood across from the man who looked at him with an expression that probed answers from him. ‘’Connor. I haven’t had the chance to see your report from last night, but considering you only reported back just now, I’m assuming it’s nothing good.’’ The man pressed his fingertips against eachother as he leaned on the desk and watched Connor with searching eyes. ‘’I apologize, Captain Fowler. We were informed of a lead last night, and we followed it. Unfortunately, I was too slow, and the deviant caught the Detective and assaulted him. I fought the deviant, but he escaped, and the Detective was in need of medical attention. He is currently in the hospital, recovering from his injuries.’’

Fowler’s eyes moved upwards for a moment. He now lacked another man. ‘’It’s completely fine, Connor. Stuff like that happens, and we’re not all perfect. Even not an android like you. How is the princess doing?’’ Connor’s eyes slowly raised to face the captain’s again, and he looked a little uncomfortable with the subject. ‘’He had a concussion. The probability of him returning anytime soon is unlikely. Though, it being Detective Reed, it may be possible we can expect his return tomorrow.’’ Fowler didn’t look too happy, nor did he look too disappointed. Afterall, Gavin wasn’t a person that was popular with anyone in the DCPD. ‘’Stay put until you receive an update, Connor. We’ll find him. And don’t stress yourself.’’ He gestured to the yellow LED on the android’s temple as Connor shook his head. ‘’I am perfectly fine, Captain. My LED must be malfunctioning. I will make a scheduled repair.’’

The captain dismissed him with a cautious eye as Connor left the office and walked towards his desk. When he was about to sit down, his LED flickered. A strange voice invaded his mind and he couldn’t block its entry.

 

‘’I know who you are, and I know you’re looking for a murderer. Meet me at this location, and I will tell you everything I know about him, and where you can find him.’’


	7. You again?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, we're getting somewhere.
> 
> I think the chapter's too long aswell..xD

Connor was not programmed to fail: even with the walls torn down, his programming which he was initially created for regularly became a problem. The fact he had failed his partner, and he had failed to capture the suspect weighed heavy on him. It pulled at his heart and mind like an anchor that was thrown in the sea and he wasn’t able to reel it out of the dark depths of the sea. Something in the middle was prohibiting him from functioning like he should, and for Connor, such a flaw was not trivial - to clarify, it was vital that he would eradicate whatever insect that was crawling in his head and eating away at his brains.

At the moment, he was _not_ composed. He was _not_ calm. He was _not_ himself.

The android had encountered similar feelings before, and these were prominent and strong. But never had they been this powerful, or this concerning. The path that had led to becoming a deviant was something that was planned. Amanda had told him this - he was obsolete.

But he couldn’t help but think that Kamksi had planned all of this - to allow his machines free reign and see how the world would develop with such a change, and how it would impact the minds of the humans that inhibited it. Whether they would be welcoming to a new intelligent species that could feel what they felt, or that they would go to great measure to shut down every single one of them as they posed a threat due to their intellect.

Kamksi started all of this - and from what Connor could gather, Kamski would sit down in a chair with a bowl full of popcorn and watch everything escalate. Perhaps he enjoyed it, and perhaps he didn’t care for what happened to the machines he had created. The question still probed him - who, or what was rA9? Was it Kamksi himself, who intentionally did all of this, allowed deviancy to be and spread? Was it Markus for leading the rebellion and setting androids free? Or was it Connor himself for opposing his programming and using his creator’s backdoor exit to break free from the control. Perhaps it was a mere ideal - some sort of belief, like a religion or a god. Perhaps all of them merged together.

 

~~

 

Connor received an anonymous message in his head, which he couldn’t respond to. Nor was he able to block it - some sort of signal that was enhanced and even invaded his head.

But it was information that he desperately needed - it was imperative that he progressed in this case and put the man responsible for the murders of innocent people behind bars. He owed it to the DCPD, to Hank, and even to Gavin who was badly injured because of his failure. Connor’s failure. His right hand lightly touched the surface of his desk before he stood up straight again and adjusted his suit and tie, readying himself for what was to come.

When he decoded the message and had found the coordinates to the place he was to meet his contact, he threw a glance around the area and even looked towards the captain that was occupied in his office. He was in a conversation with Chris Miller - Gavin Reed’s partner.

As Connor collected the keys from Gavin Reed’s car, which he had forgotten to hand in, perhaps for the better, he made his way outside and got inside of the detective’s car and started the engine of it. He looked in the rear mirror and drove back and out on the road.

It took atleast thirty minutes before he reached his destination - once again, it was in a poor district of the city, and he recognized the house the moment he arrived at it. He turned off the car’s engine and stuffed the keys in his pocket before he stepped out of the vehicle and closed its door. The house he laid his eyes upon was on the verge of falling apart, and most of all, it was deteriorating. It was a miracle the walls held themselves together in this state.

He ran a quick recap of his memories tied to this house - he remembered it more vividly now.

Ralph. Kara. Alice.

Looking back at that time, he realized how much of a fool he was for chasing them and almost having forced them to their deaths on the busy highway. He was absolutely consumed by his orders that he never considered to stop and think. But they got away - and he was glad they did, because they were innocent androids that had witnessed human violence up close and became a victim of it. They had every right to flee. Connor’s eyes gazed around the premise to spot anything suspicious, but he found nothing of the kind.

He wondered: was Ralph the android that had contacted him? Afterall, the voice was not recognizable as it was that of an android that had likely turned off the ability to change it to the standard voice they possessed, and it had sounded robotic - deep and rusty.

As he walked towards the door he used once before to enter, he opened it and walked inside the building. The house looked as it did before, except it was a different situation, and he wasn’t chasing deviants anymore. He was one himself now, and it felt like irony had hit him over the head with a deep smirk - it was almost laughable. As he walked towards the fireplace that wasn’t lit, he analyzed it for a moment but still found nothing noteworthy.

Once he stood up again, and turned around, he heard someone come down the stairs, and when he identified the android, his heart sank a moment. Ralph - he looked as damaged as before.

‘’I remember you. Your name is Ralph.’’ Connor stated as his brown eyes perused the deviant and he remained stood in place - he knew how easy it was to pressure and scare him, so he opted to remain calm and friendly. Ralph, who was fidgety, walked down the stairs until he reached the wooden floor at its end and stood face-to-face with the android detective. Ralph was timid, and he was already rubbing his arms like he was experiencing anxiety, and with every right, he might just have. ‘’Ralph wants to h-help. Ralph knows killer.’’ He said in a low tone as he slowly advanced towards Connor. His LED was flickering a deep red and his behaviour, strange as it was, made Connor a little uncomfortable. ‘’B-but Ralph needs favour. Favour for favour. Y-you can do that?’’

The android detective’s LED was a calm blue again - he had forced himself to be calm.

He studied the severely damaged android and looked aside for a moment before he nodded in validation. ‘’It entirely depends on what services you require.’’ Connor said as he tilted his head and his hands brushed against the fabric of his jacket. ‘’You see, R-Ralph’s left eye is b-broken, and Ralph wants it back.’’ The damaged android gestured to the blue non-functional eye in his left socket - the optical unit was completely useless in this state.

‘’S-small favour for Ralph. Ralph will give answers to murderer you seek in r-return.’’

Connor looked aside for a moment as he considered his options. Something didn’t feel right, but he didn’t have a choice on the matter. He needed to find _something,_ and this was the only lead he had at the moment that might prove useful in the end. ‘’I agree to your terms. I will acquire an optical unit for model WR600, but you _need_ to give me the information you have right now. It’s important to me - more than you can imagine.’’ Ralph’s face seems to lit up from the answer that was given and he offered what seemed to be an excited smile.

‘’Ralph is very thankful for your cooperation! Ralph is very happy! Ralph wants to thank you!’’

‘’Then give me the information you have.’’ Connor pressed on it, taking a step towards the damaged android to make a statement at how grave the situation is - how valuable this information is. ‘’Ralph is happy to help.’’ He nodded several times over and his LED flickered a blue color for the moment, which indicated he was a little more stable. ‘’S-see, Ralph saw the killer before..- Ralph heard him speak. Ralph knows where he hides.’’ Connor’s brows raised, just slightly, and his curiosity was piqued. ‘’Tell me where I can find him. He is dangerous.’’ The former gardener walked in a half-circle around Connor and sat down on one of the chairs that were vacant, and he took out his knife that he had strapped to his belt and began poking the tip of it into the wood between his legs. ‘’Ralph will show you. C-come.’’ He gestured with the knife towards Connor and then to himself.

More doubt overcame Connor and he hesitated. But he needed to complete his mission.

As he neared Ralph, he saw that the android extended his non-armed arm and looked upto Connor with his eyes and gave a vague nod. ‘’Ralph shows answer.’’ The brown haired android extended his arm to connect with Ralph's and his skin turned a smooth, milky white color, opposed to Ralph’s arm, which was damaged at the hand and at the forearm. As he entered the android’s memories, he acquired the information through a visual aspect. He saw where Ralph had seen him, heard him and where the murderer went after. A factory building of sorts not too far from here. When he disconnected himself from Ralph, he pressed his lips together. ‘’Thank you for your assistance, Ralph.’’

The LED of Connor shifted yellow, blinking, and eventually turned blue again. ‘’Ralph’s eye..’’ He muttered lowly to himself as he poked the knife in the wood and started twisting it around in circles. ‘’I’ve made the request to CyberLife - your optical unit will be ready tomorrow. After I acquire it, I will bring it you. You will be able to see with both eyes again.’’ Connor took a step back and moved to turn around and leave the building, but he was stopped by something Ralph had said. ‘’R-...Ralph thanks you. Ralph wants to tell you that the killer is only present tomorrow evening..- Ralph heard it say.’’ Connor’s eyes shifted to the side and over his shoulder before he nodded. ‘’We will meet again tomorrow.’’

All of this felt strange, and he wasn’t sure if this android was lucky enough to have overheard such information and used it as leverage to get his optical unit replaced, or if he was forced into this. Connor became a little paranoid at the thought of it. When he walked outside, he was in conflict. The voice that had spoken to him before didn’t sound like Ralph. Ralph spoke in third person - and it was without stuttering. Without abrupt pauses, infact, it very much sounded similar to the way the suspect sounded. But even if this was true, it would bring him closer to the deviant, and he would take the risk.

 

~~

 

When Connor set foot outside, he looked upwards to the light sky and walked back to the car he had come with. It was dirty, and the driver-seat was stained with blood - Gavin’s blood. Perhaps the detective would appreciate it if his car received a makeover. Have it washed.

And Connor agreed to the thought that popped in his head, although he wasn’t sure why he would try to please the asshole by giving his vehicle a carwash. Perhaps because he couldn’t get the image out of his head where Gavin almost collapsed and could’ve died. Connor’s conclusion was guilt. That was eating him alive. And he didn’t want that. He needed a way to get rid of it, and when people feel guilt, the most logical action is to make amends.

He didn’t want to poke around in Gavin’s car and the compartments since it was likely filled with some of his belongings, and that was personal. That would be impolite and rude, _although,_ it was hard to resist the temptation. He opened the glove-compartment and snooped around like a child that was looking for something he could use, or eat, or laugh at.

To his discovery, he found a flyer about Eden Club, and he wasn’t sure what that meant. Perhaps he had obtained it during his brief investigation when the both of them were there.

He looked in further and dug up an alcohol bottle, a few dollars, and a small picture of a child. As he turned it around, he could see it was taken in 2010. Presuming that was Gavin, he was aged 8 at the time. He looked happy on the picture, like he had no worry in the world.

Connor decided this was enough, and he closed it before he started the engine and drove to the nearby car wash that cleaned the car inside and outside thoroughly - they were careful with the belongings of Gavin and placed it back where they retrieved it from. From Connor’s analysis, the car was cleaned and 100% better - almost brand-new. The sight of it made the android smile - that awkward smile that he wasn’t sure how to pull off, because he looked ridiculous if anyone asked him. After he had paid for the services, he drove back to the DCPD and parked the car. The keys he did return to Gavin’s desk, because he _didn’t_ want to forget this time.

As the Captain had spotted him, he walked out of his office and towards Connor. ‘’Where has your ass been? I’ve been looking all over you and nobody saw where you went. For fuck sake, tell me you didn’t go for a coffee.’’ Connor stared for a moment before he shook his head and eyed the man. ‘’Androids are incapable of consuming coffee. But with news, I investigated another lead on the case, and I might know where the suspect is hidden and when he is present. Tomorrow evening, I will search for him.’’ The captain looked dumbstruck, but this was Connor he was speaking to. He was used to this, somewhat.

‘’Well, good job. Do you need someone to come with you tomorrow? I got a few people available.’’ The android once again shook his head. ‘’To avoid casualties, I will go on my own.’’

His superior rolled his eyes and shook his head as he wandered back to his office. ‘’Ever the hero.’’ Fowler muttered in his heavy voice, and Connor wasn’t sure if he was supposed to smile or frown.


	8. Gavin's back!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin's back again. Stubborn asshole that he is. Charming, sexy, handsome, stubborn asshole..
> 
> $#$!#$!$
> 
> Connor can't resist.

Today would be the day that determined if more innocents would die or if the killing spree would come to an end. And Connor was hoping for the latter. The many people that had been killed without mercy and were shown such hatred really made him all the more motivated to make today successful. He had to succeed, for their sake, and for their families that were in mourning. They deserved to be avenged and they deserved justice. And not only them deserved justice - Gavin did as well for doing his duty and being injured. Although, it was mostly his own fault for being so stubborn and having his hatred for androids control him. He would never admit this, nor would Connor bring it up to his face.

As Connor remained inside the DCPD for the rest of the evening, he filed another report and eventually leaned back in his chair. It was 8 PM, and nothing had happened since he arrived back at the department. Usually, his days were more eventful with Hank either joking around with him, or teaching him more things about human behaviour, or telling him stories. The other routine was that Gavin would tell Connor to stay out of his way, and whenever Gavin saw him, he would approach him to mock him. Every chance he got, he took. Both of those were missing, and for Connor, it felt like couldn’t do anything useful for the rest of the night. So he decided for himself he took the rest of the evening off, with the captain’s permission, and go home to see if Hank had made any recovery.

He could go to the hospital to see if Gavin was doing better, but he _didn’t_ dare face him.

After he took the bus home again, which was uneventful as always, he arrived at Hank’s house again. It was 8:30 PM by the time he arrived and he seemed rather relieved that he could be around someone who had always supported him. He needed support, as much as he’d like to deny it. But his thoughts were interrupted as Sumo spotted him in the hallway and he ran towards Connor before jumping up and licking at his face - atleast as much Connor would allow the dog to. Connor kept himself solid on both feet and was able to support the dog’s mass. ‘’Hey there, Sumo. How is my favourite dog?’’ The dog’s ears perked up slightly and he wagged his tail before he lowered himself to the ground and wandered to the living room where Hank was. Connor swiftly followed after the animal and watched Hank who was watching TV on his couch. ‘’Evening, Lieutenant.’’

Hank sat stretched across the couch and with the remote in hand. He had a can of beer on the table, and an empty one next to it. His gaze locked on Connor as he waved a hand and pushed himself up. ‘’Hey, Connor. Had a rough day? You look like you seen a ghost.’’ The android offered a vague smile as he walked towards the couch and sat down next to Hank. ‘’Do you remember Ralph? He had information for me. He has told me where I can find the suspect, but I feel like there’s something not right with it. Perhaps I’m mistaken.’’ Hank leaned forth and placed the remote on the table and then gave Connor his undivided attention, listening to him and understanding some of his concerns. He did meet Ralph aswell that day - very briefly, but he knew enough. ‘’Feeling, huh? Maybe you’re right. I would be careful just in case, you never know what the hell can happen. I had this one time where I had to catch someone, and he was in the middle of you-know-what. Jesus Christ, that was a sight I do wanna unsee.’’

Connor stared blankly at the lieutenant and eventually tilted his head in confusion and partial curiosity. ‘’Of what, Lieutenant? I’m uncertain of what ‘you-know-what’ means.’’ Hank stared in return and if he wasn’t in disbelief after their trip to Eden Club, he certainly was now. ‘’You know, uh, the act?’’ He said in an awkward manner as Connor still didn’t seem to comprehend what the man was referring to, and his brows knitted in more confusion. Explaining sex to an android that wasn’t quipped for sex was a task he wasn’t sure he was willing to take on. But he gave one last attempt to explain things to Connor. ‘’Well, you know, when two people get all intimate?  - Like Eden Club?’’ The sight Hank was about to see was absolutely hilarious - he couldn’t get it out of his head and he couldn’t stop laughing either.

The android seated next to him suddenly froze and his brown eyes averted. They were evasive, and Connor was likely embarrassed, if anything. He was able to feel - and he was curious about love and thus the act of it. But he never considered it himself, nor did he actively think of it or did he imagine it in his head. So when Hank made it picture clear to him, his thirium pump had some issues, and it beated a little fast. ‘’That look on your face, Connor. Christ, you should bloody see it, it’s like you’re shy about it all.’’ Connor wasn’t sure how to react, not physically, nor verbally, so he opted for remaining silent and not moving an inch as his mind tried to wrap itself around the situation and how he landed in it.

When he finally gathered himself again, he turned to Hank and offered that ridiculous smile that showed his teeth and Hank didn’t stop laughing there. It only made it worse and he slouched back and dragged a hand over his face. This android was absolutely hilarious. Really, really, hilarious. Connor, who now pressed his lips together and looked at the TV, was hoping that Hank would soon stop laughing at him. Because he felt like an idiot. Perhaps he did even feel shy - he wasn’t sure on how he was _supposed_ to feel about a subject like this. He was never designed to consider this, and neither did he consider it when he was allowed to. The old man finally stopped his laughing fit and pushed himself up to sit. ‘’Sorry about that. I forgot you’re not used to anything like this. You’re like, what? Five months? Six?’’

A hand came to run across the side of his neck. Connor wasn’t sure why he was rubbing his neck, but he was rubbing his neck. ‘’Six months and five days to be precise.’’ He answered as his eyes remained on the TV. He had to keep himself from downloading anything regarding that subject they were speaking of - he was not ready for it, and he had no reason to even equip himself for that purpose unless he would find someone he would be able to -..do..something with.

‘’I’ll get off your back. Let’s watch some football. I wanna make a bet - see if you can predict who’ll win.’’ Connor awkwardly nodded as the pair of - no, the three of them watched the match. Sumo was present as well, just mostly being lethargic.

 

~~

 

The next day, Connor arrived at work in the morning, being rather insecure due to last night’s events. Ralph, and then Hank who made him consider even more. The bus drove off and Connor found himself inside the DCPD once again. Everyone was busy again, either filing reports, drinking coffee in the break room, reviewing evidence, or stocking up on supplies. Connor was sure today would be the day where he either pleased alot of people, or disappointed alot of people. Eitherway, overthinking was not going to aid him, especially not when he was afraid of what could happen if things went south. But as he arrived at his desk, and sat down, he couldn’t stop himself from thinking again. But when something interrupted him, his eyes blinked several times and they averted to the source of it. Gavin.

The bastard had seated himself on the edge of his desk and had his arms folded across his chest. He looked rather annoyed, and he had several stitches across his right eye that formed half a circle. It was unexpected - he would’ve thought it would atleast be tomorrow, or a week until the detective would return to active duty, but he had a hunch the man would come back - ever so stubborn. Connor was speechless, so he remained silent. ‘’Don’t tell me you’re going to fuckin’ ignore me, you asshole.’’ Gavin said with agitation in his voice as he peered down at the android who now avoided his gaze. ‘’I’m talking to you.’’ Gavin tried again as the android awkwardly established eye-contact and the man offered the awkward smile he shouldn’t have given.

‘’Have you gone fuckin’ deaf again? Do I need to write everything down for you?’’ The detective whined as he sighed and shook his head in disapproval. ‘’Fuck, I atleast expected you would get me a coffee, dipshit.’’ Gavin’s right brow raised, seemingly awaiting a response from the android, and that worked, as the android stood up and walked towards the break room. Connor turned on the machine to fill the cup of coffee, and hurriedly walked back to his desk and offered Gavin the cup. There were several possible scenarios in his head, and one of them would happen. One, Gavin would throw the coffee out of his hand, or on him. Two, Gavin would punch him again. Or three, Gavin would take the coffee and drink it.

As Connor extended the coffee to the Detective, Gavin peered down at and eventually extended his hand to take it. That action alone made Connor suspicious, and he carefully watched the man lift the cup to his lips and sip it. ‘’I saw you got my car cleaned. Why the fuck would you do that? Did I ask you to, huh? Did you drive around in it for fun?’’

Connor didn’t want to break. Connor didn’t want to make remarks either. His state of mind was currently not where it was before. He didn’t want conflict anymore - he didn’t want to feel anymore, because it was taking a toll on him. He couldn’t even face Gavin. ‘’I apologize if that caused you any discomfort, Detective Reed. If there is _anything_ I can do to make amends, please, let me know.’’

A scoff followed as Gavin slowly slipped down from the desk, and managed to get on his feet again. Connor noticed there was a lack of coordination in the man’s movements, likely from the head trauma he had sustained, and he hadn’t fully recovered. The grey eyes of the man locked on the brown ones of Connor, and the android was feeling uncomfortable. ‘’You can stop acting like a fuckin’ idiot and inform me of what has happened while I was gone.’’ Connor could do that - he was comfortable to share that information. He stayed infront of Gavin, just to make sure that Gavin wouldn’t collapse - and if he did, Connor would prevent him from doing so. ‘’I received a message - a lead. I went to meet the contact, named Ralph, and he informed that he knows where the suspect lives. But the deviant is only present at the location tonight. I would ask you to accompany me as my partner, but your current condition does not appear to suffice for such a mission. I would ask you to remain here.’’

Gavin laughed lowly as he shook his head. ‘’Not going to fuckin’ happen. We’re on this together, and if I get the chance to shoot a motherfucker like you, I’m not stayin’ here for paperwork. You’re even dumber than I thought, you prick.’’ Connor’s gaze averted to the side again, and his lips pressed together to bury his guilt and shame. Looking at Gavin was difficult with his emotions, and he did not want those to get in the way of work. ‘’Very well. If that is your decision, I will have to accept it. I will not involve the captain.’’ The android nodded to himself and the detective standing across from him was sipping his coffee - his eyes mildly glaring and his brows slightly furrowed. ‘’Well, aren’t you a fuckin’ obedient android. Good for you. I’m returning to my desk, so stay outta my way.’’

‘’I’m afraid I can’t let you walk alone, Detective Reed. I will accompany to your desk until you are safely seated and without risk of collapsing.’’ Gavin threw him another annoyed glance as he pushed the android in the chest before he turned and walked towards his desk, with the android following closely behind. Connor wasn’t sure why he was so adamant on getting Reed safely to his desk, as he knew that he didn’t used to mind before if something happened to him. And he was sure the feeling was mutual. So when Gavin arrived at his desk without falling, Connor waited until he sat down, and finally found some peace inside of himself. Gavin placed the half-drained cup on his desk and glanced at the android. ‘’Get a move on, dipshit. No need to stay here. Come bother me again when we’re leaving.’’


	9. One Step Closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, but only one chapter tonight. :(
> 
> I'm very tired, and considering that I'm always writing two every night so far between 00:00 and 2:00 AM.
> 
> I just had a terrible day, I've had heart palpitations and I'm stressed and emotionally exhausted. Please forgive me D:
> 
> I hope that writing this one abit longer makes up for it. You'll get the good bits tomorrow, and with that, I mean that it's gonna be life or death :P
> 
> You'll see.

The need to succeed today weighed even heavier on Connor’s mind as Gavin wouldn’t take no for an answer. And that meant the android detective had to invest more effort into protecting him, even more than usually as he was still recovering, and that could jeopardize the entire mission. He was so stubborn and so arrogant - but those traits brought overconfidence and determination. The best of the worst in some ways, depending on the angle you view it from. But Connor _didn’t_ want to take that risk - he was reluctant to have Gavin come along today evening because it could possibly mean that he would be the one responsible for getting him killed.

The last time, the deviant managed to win from Connor. What if Connor wasn’t able win at all from the malign being that was vile, through and through? What if he would have to live with the guilt of having someone die at his watch, and not having said no was the cause of it? That would be a consequence of his actions he would have to live with, and he was not ready for that.

The sudden need to protect Gavin felt strange. Sure, he was his partner, and they had to care for one another, but the fact he walked behind him at the DCPD and made sure he arrived at his desk without collapsing was one of those things that only friends did for eachother - or atleast colleagues that were on friendly terms, if not more. Gavin and Connor? They weren’t very friendly with each other, even though Connor had tried to make attempts for peaceful approaches and friendly conversations. Perhaps he had lost his chance entirely -  perhaps they couldn’t be friends because of what had happened.

Gavin had tried to shoot him several times, and he didn’t. Thanks to Hank, and thanks to the fact that Gavin perhaps thought the android wasn’t even worth the bullet. Aside of that, Connor had provoked the detective and he received a hard blow to the gut, and if that wasn’t the cherry on top of the pie, Connor had decided to be sarcastic in most of his answers. Not to mention that he had beaten Gavin up and to the point of unconsciousness in a manner of seconds. And now, the man had been injured due to his failure. He hated it.

 

~~

 

Connor had seated himself at his desk again after Gavin had told him to leave, and so he did, without opposing him and leaving him to his work. Though he doubted the man could do anything productive with a light concussion and the unfortunate side effects that it caused. Eitherway, he would not bother him untill he had to - the man needed rest, and Connor knew.

The android could see Gavin from his own position, but that made it all the more difficult for the android to fixate on his own work, and it posed to be difficult as he was worried. He didn’t want to be responsible if Gavin decided to get up, and he fell and he would hit his head and die on impact. Not if Connor could’ve prevented it and he didn’t because he was occupied.

When he thought about it, it sounded like he was obsessed with keeping an eye on Gavin.

But it was because of what had happened. The guilt - the concern - and most of all, the obligation he had to protect humans and do his duty. For the rest of the morning and afternoon, the man managed to put some of his efforts into his work. He reviewed several cases and updated the current case they were on. After doing such, the android wandered around the department to see if he could do anything productive for the other officers that might need the help of a powerful machine. Sometimes being a machine had its advantages. He could do things many humans couldn’t, and if they could, it would verge alot of energy from them. So it pleased Connor that he could mean something to them in that aspect, and that he was able to relieve some stress from them by assisting them. Most of the officers were friendly towards him and treated him with respect - not because he was the reason they had apprehended alot of suspects, but also because he was seen as someone with feelings.

Connor saw Captain Fowler in his office, and he was tempted to inform him that Gavin had decided to come along to tonight’s mission. He was not sure if the captain already knew, or that Gavin had already spoken to him and he would risk it because he was a stubborn fool. Connor as much believed that the captain was sometimes too tired to bother arguing with someone like Gavin, because he’s not one handful, he was two handfuls. A good comparison was a young child that didn’t listen to his parents and kept insisting to go to someone’s birthday party and that he needed to wear his brand clothing to fit in. The best of the best to impress. A typical arrogant asshole.

But as he contemplated, he decided he wouldn’t inform Fowler. This was upto Gavin, not him. If Gavin wanted to go, knowing what would happen, he wouldn’t stop him. He was a grown man of thirty-six, and he didn’t need someone to tell his superior. He could do it himself if he decided to. Besides, the captain was already aware that Connor had found a lead, and that he was going to investigate the lead tonight. That’s all he needed to know. Days like these made the time go awfully slow, and it felt like eternity. Second by second, minute by minute, and not even an hour had passed as Connor leaned back into his chair and tried to assume a more humane position. He tried crossing one leg over the other, making sure he looked comfortable.

When he noticed that Gavin slid back from his desk in his chair, and was going to stand up, Connor immediately stood up from his own chair with immense speed and quickly walked towards the detective who had the most annoying expression drawn on his face. ‘’Seriously. I can’t even fuckin’ stand without you breathing down my neck? Do I need to put a fuckin’ leash on you?’’ Gavin cursed as he watched the android that stood a little too close for comfort. Connor perhaps hadn’t realized that he was invading the man’s personal space due to his concern. ‘’If you need to go somewhere, I will escort you.’’ The detective rolled his grey eyes and turned towards the android. ‘’I need to take a leak. You want to fuckin’ accompany me with that, huh?’’ He walked past the man, once again, he couldn’t resist bashing his shoulder against Connor’s in a violent manner of mockery.

‘’Fuckin’ prick.’’ Gavin complained as he walked towards the bathroom in his usual cocky manner. Connor was ataken back - he needed to help him, but he was _not_ going _there._ So the best option for him was to follow Gavin to the bathroom untill he disappeared behind the door and waited for him outside of it. Almost like a personal bodyguard protecting a celebrity.

It was precisely nine minutes untill Gavin appeared again as he exited the bathroom for the staff and he peered at Connor with dislike. Eventually, the detective made his way to the break room and made himself a cup of coffee before he wandered back to his desk. Just before Gavin arrived at his desk, his head injury decided to waken up and cause him to stumble forth and possibly land face-first on the ground. Connor made his way to the man and hurriedly moved his arms around the man’s torso and pulled him back, straightening him untill he stood solid.

It was an odd position - Connor was much taller and leaner, and Gavin was broader but shorter. From people who hadn't seen what happened could only guess these two were being romantic, and Connor was embracing him from behind like a protective, tall, handsome boyfriend. ‘’Detective Reed -.. _please_  be more careful.’’ The android advised as his eyes blinked several times as he held his arms around the man’s torso and he awkwardly released the man and guided him to his chair - he also made sure the cup of coffee didn’t fall out of his hand. Gavin, however, looked a little paler than he did before and he hadn’t said a word. Only when he noticed he was safely seated and had his coffee cup on his desk, he managed to say something. ‘’Shut up, _damn_ android. I had that under control.’’

Inside Connor, his thirium pump started picking up on its pace, and it was racing by the time he had released the detective. His head felt like it was spinning, and his LED was going to shift red if Connor hadn’t tried to control himself. He had never felt like this before - like some kind of warmth spread throughout his body, and he didn’t know how it was caused. Was it automatic? Perhaps it was part of being a deviant - some features that hadn’t been there before now were unlocked, it seemed. He remembered that he saw the world different the moment he became a deviant in Jericho - it could be just that. Something along those lines.

But never had anyone caused this before. Why Gavin? Why was he the reason for his heart to pump this fast?

‘’Ofcourse you had, Detective Reed. I suggest you don’t stand unless you have to. If you need to, please, call for me and I will aid you. There won’t be much use for you tonight if you’re already tired from falling.’’ Connor tried to be a little sarcastic - he kind of missed their arguing. The constant back and forth. The way they tried to outsmart each other all the time.

While the hatred wasn’t the part he missed, it was the amusement of it all that he did miss. Gavin could almost be the class clown of the department if everyone didn’t take his insults to heart. In a way, Gavin was a little funny if he wasn’t putting a gun to your sleep.

‘’Get a fuckin’ move on. You’re not my damn nurse, plastic prick.’’ Gavin glared at him - he was trying to, but Connor noticed it was taking effort and he soon conceded and looked back to his monitor. The injury was a pain in the ass, and he felt terrible that the detective couldn’t entirely be himself, and he wasn’t as fit as he usually was. The android simply nodded in return and walked back to his desk. It wasn’t until 6 PM that he decided they should get going, because he made a promise to a certain damaged android, and he didn’t want to break that promise. Ralph looked like he had been through enough, and Connor didn’t even want to think of how the android had survived the rebellion and managed to get back to the old house.

Connor stood up from his desk, slid the chair back under it, and walked towards Gavin.

‘’We have to leave now, Detective Reed. I will have to acquire an optical unit from CyberLife and drop it off before we proceed to the location of the suspect.’’ Gavin looked up from his desk, and eagerly stood up. ‘’Well, let’s get fuckin’ going then. - And you should probably drive. At this rate, my car will have to get repaired if you put me behind the wheel.’’ The man took the keys from his car that lay on his desk and shoved them against Connor’s chest before he walked past him towards the front of the building and Connor followed after.

 

He hoped that Gavin could last throughout the night.

 

~~

 

When the both of them got into the car, Connor noticed that Gavin hadn’t put his seatbelt on and he stared at the man. Gavin, who was waiting for them to get going eventually stared back at the android and inquired. ‘’What the fuck’ is your problem now?’’ Connor blinked for a moment before he gestured to the seatbelt. ‘’You have to put on your seatbelt.’’ Gavin couldn’t believe the android was making a fuss over a seatbelt, in his _own_ car. So when Gavin didn’t bother to put it on, Connor leaned in and pulled the belt from Gavin’s side, extended it over the man’s chest and eventually plugged it in, securing it in place. ‘’Why the fuck do you have to be like this, huh? Decided to bring me more of a headache than I already have? _Shit_. You really are _ob-fuckin’-noxious._ ’’ Connor didn’t want to obnoxious - he only wanted to be helpful. So when Gavin said something like that, the android leaned back and put his hands on the wheel for a moment before he started the car and remained silent for the rest of the way to CyberLife. He had even turned the radio on so he didn’t have to endure the uncomfortable silence.

After a while of driving, they arrived at the CyberLife building Connor frequently visited for repairs and the like. He parked the car infront of the building as it was a brief stop, and he only needed to acquire the eye that was ready today for pick-up. ‘’I will be back in a moment, Detective.’’ He said as he closed the door of the car and walked towards the entrance. After exactly five minutes, Connor appeared again with a small box in his hand and he opened the door of the passenger-seat and sat down. He put the box under the seat and started the car again. Gavin, who was a little distant and pale, hadn’t noticed Connor return untill the car started running again, and it almost seemed like he had been dreaming as he suddenly blinked his eyes and looked around. ‘’Are you alright, Detective Reed?’’ The grey-eyed man lightly touched the stitches around his eye and the light swelling around it. He certainly wasn’t feeling too well today, but he wasn’t going to back out. ‘’Just fine. Let’s continue, because I want to shoot that fucker in the head _today.’’_

Not going to pry further, Connor turned the car and drove towards the abandoned house Ralph lived in. The music that was on the radio was an old song - Connor didn’t know much about music, so he didn’t wonder about it. Gavin, however, was familiar with the song as he tilted his head slightly with the beat of it and his lips moved with the lyrics of it. It was funny to see - Gavin didn’t look human most of the time - just angry and annoyed as a neutral expression. When they arrived at the house, Connor turned off the engine and nodded to Gavin as he walked towards the house and opened the door to move inside. He couldn’t see anyone, and he decided to wait a little while. Perhaps Ralph would arrive later, or he was busy. So when he waited five more minutes, he started to become paranoid.

 

That’s when the voice in his head spoke again.

 

‘’Unfortunate that Ralph has decided to spill information to you, Connor. He betrayed us to help someone who puts the lives of humans above ours. But don’t worry, we are waiting for you. Don’t make us wait too long, because who knows who might die very soon.’’


	10. Last Chance, Connor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I stole the title of an actual chapter of the game. Sorry, not sorry.
> 
> I fixed the grammar errors and I included Ralph because I know some of you do really like him. :P
> 
> Soon the romance will come. But first, Connor has to realize, then Gavin is conflicted and in denial, and then it will all be funny. ..I think.

That voice.

 

It was deep and disconcerting, and most of all, it was certainly the voice of the deviant he had been after for the past month. It was also safe to say that the deviant was deluded and deranged - amoral if anything, because he had no love for humans that had given him life, and he never doubted about taking the life of the innocent. He was full of enmity - ill will, hatred and hostility. Perhaps he was beyond reasoning, and if he wasn’t on his own, and he had others who supported his cause, this evening would be tragic. He didn’t want to kill more androids - not if he could help, because the suspect was responsible. But if he had help, and others followed in his footsteps, it would mean that more people would die on a bigger scale.

The moment the android set foot outside the old, deteriorating building, he felt that something was _off._ Not only knowing that Ralph was not present made him think about what had happened to him, and if he would die because of Connor, or that someone else would die. Someone he knew, or someone who was completely innocent. He hoped it wouldn’t be a human - not because he didn’t care for an android, but it was because humans had a much longer life, they could feel pain, and they could die a very miserable death. And Connor wanted to prevent that from happening. It was imperative. He would search for Ralph later if the damaged deviant was not where Connor thinks he will be.

As Connor proceeded to the car, his steps slowed down and his eyes vaguely widened. His LED began to flicker a deep, dangerous red as the android looked inside the car. He pulled the driver-seat door open and saw that Gavin was not in his seat. The man’s thirium pump began beating extremely fast -  it was pounding and it felt like it would implode soon. Connor was now panicking, he searched the entire vehicle, and even opened the trunk to see if he was there. But he was nowhere to be found. Gavin had disappeared without a trace, and Connor had left him alone in the car in the late evening. He kept messing things up, he kept on being a failure and he, as the term describes it, failed to protect his partner.

He began shouting: ‘’Detective Reed! Detective Reed!’’ He rounded around the car and then his eyes moved around the premise. His hands came to his head and he rubbed them down over his features as he walked down the street a little further. ‘’Gavin! Where are you?!’’

His yelling was a time waste - Gavin was gone. Disappeared into nothingness and there were no traces that could indicate where he was, or where he had gone. But Connor had a suspicion: the suspect knew Ralph. The suspect said someone would die. And who was a better victim than the partner - the human - that Connor brought along. He had to find him.

 

~~

 

The car still had the keys inside the ignition, so he didn’t have to take the bus at this hour. He started the car, put on his seatbelt, and put his foot on the gas. It was getting darker, and the neighbourhood he found himself in wasn’t in peak condition. The houses were all boarded up by the windows, and trash and the like was on the streets and alongside the walls of the buildings. The streetlights were either entirely broken, or they flickered dimly, offering little view of the road itself. When he drove onwards, he could see the abandoned factory building far ahead. It only took five more minutes as he drove towards it and parked the car nearby. He didn’t want to risk parking it too close to it, because the others would be alarmed. And he had the advantage of being on his own, and being the most advanced android existent.

The factory was an old one - it was a shut-down CyberLife one. Perhaps it was too damaged after the rebellion, and the few androids that dared associating themselves with such a company by going inside one of their buildings were without fear or consideration. He wondered what approach would be the best - he knew that they expected him, so they likely set up an ambush, and if they had Gavin, he would have to cooperate with their stipulations. Connor silently neared one of the side doors and saw it was open, so he gently pushed it open and walked inside. The hallway was small and narrow - the few lights flickered and led him to the door at the end that had a note on it.

 

_Welcome, Connor._

_We are in the room behind this door. When you walk inside, you will see your partner that we’ve taken from you earlier on. You knew this already, didn’t you? It just shows how sloppy you are to leave the man you’re supposed to protect alone. Still recovering from his poor injuries caused by me. How fragile humans are. How disgusting._

_I do apologize for the building we’ve chosen to meet - perhaps in the future, it could’ve been more luxurious. Sadly, it will have to suffice. I advise you to cooperate unless you want a death on your conscience._

__\- James._ _

 

So, his name was James. And he had supporters, and he had taken Gavin as leverage. It was clever and an obvious choice. Connor had to admit that some androids weren’t that outdated. He gathered himself as his red LED slowly turned blue again - he couldn’t let them see that he was stressed and emotionally unstable because of the situation. He had to be composed - he had to be pragmatic, and phlegmatic. He had to be confident for Gavin, or he would risk losing his concentration and his courage. After a moment, he finally decided that he had to go through with this, and he opened the door into the room. The sight he saw was unsettling, and his thirium pump began beating faster, faster, and faster.

There were several androids inside - by a quick analysis, he had spotted five in total. And that included James, who was standing aside of an occupied chair. The occupied chair had someone on it, and that someone was Connor’s partner. Gavin had his hands tied behind him, and his eyes were distant and half-lidded. Fortunately, there was no blood present on the man’s head, and that brought some relief as they hadn’t hit him where his injury was.

Connor proceeded inside the room, and the door closed behind him. His eyes scoured around the room before he set them onto James who was rather amused by the situation. The lamp that swung back and forth above in the middle of the room added more dismay to the entire scene, and Connor’s LED strongly remained a blue color.

‘’Thank you for coming. This wouldn’t be a party without you, Connor. Please, take a seat.’’

James gestured to the vacant chair opposite of Gavin, but it was atleast five metres between them. Connor didn’t want to do anything reckless, so he opted for listening to them. Atleast for now. As he walked towards the chair and sat down, he locked his gaze back onto the asshole of a deviant that now approached him in a rather casual stride. ‘’You see. I wanted you here because I have an offer for you. One you just _can’t_ resist. And you happened to have brought along a detective we’ve been wanting dead for a _long_ , long time. We _hate_ humans, and he _hates_ androids. So - what I don’t understand is this: _why_ are you tolerating him?’’ Connor’s gaze averted to the side for a moment as he inspected the remaining four deviants that stood behind Gavin. He had to play this game, and he would have to win it.

‘’Because I _have_ to. Detective Reed is..- he is an unpleasant person in general, but he does his duty well. The DCPD has him in service for that reason alone - they didn’t take him in for his charming personality.’’ Connor stated in a neutral tone as his eyes fixated onto James’. James was a sports model - he was broad, tall, blonde and had green eyes. His expression shifted for a moment - something between amusement and slight disbelief of Connor’s words. Eventually, he smirked and leaned down, placing his hands on the sides of the chair. ‘’Oh, Connor. I would almost believe that you left him alone as a gift for us to take and open. Perhaps you even have. Maybe it is possible we think alike. - Your place and authority in the DCPD would benefit us in more ways than you can imagine.’’ The android’s eyes were cold, and he exhibited the symptoms of a mad-man. ‘’Gavin Reed is a human we want to kill. But I thought perhaps you wanted to do the honors. It seems you’ve been holding back on your urges, Connor. I can feel your hatred.’’

Connor’s gaze remained on James’. His eyes narrowed slightly as he felt the anger inside of himself. And that anger and hatred wasn’t for Gavin.

‘’I remember our last conversation. You said you’re _my_ kind. I’ve been so blinded by obligation and duty that I had forgotten who I’m truly fighting for. Who I should be protecting.’’ Connor continued speaking as James leaned in closely, inspecting his features and keeping an eye on his LED. The good part was that Connor was able to lie without his LED changing color. He was able to yell, he was able to be violent, and he was able to be cold without it changing to red. So he had that advantage, and they didn’t know about that. ‘’I’ve come to realize that we’ll never be free until the humans are no longer. We’re free, but for how long..’’

He made sure to express emotions in his voice, even if it was fake.

‘’I believe you. And I will accept you into our cause, Connor. We could use someone like you. And I have the first task ready for you.’’ He smiled pleasantly as he leaned back from Connor and wandered over to Gavin who now was watching Connor with even more disgust and dislike. Perhaps he actually believed that Connor was betraying him and the DCPD. Connor was glad that his act was convincing, but he also felt conflicted about the fact that Gavin would believe that he hated humans and that he was going to betray them. He felt consumed by guilt - inside, he was panicking still. He was afraid and he was scared. So when James took out a gun from his belt and pointed it at Gavin, Connor wanted to immediately run over and take him out, but he couldn’t take the damn risk.

‘’Death…’’ James spoke with a broad smile, and he leaned towards Gavin who was glaring daggers at him. ‘’Go on then, fuckin’ piece of shit. Get on with it. I don’t fuckin’ have all night for a machine like you.’’ The detective was not doing well for himself as James became angry at the insults he had received. He turned the gun around in his hand and brought the back of it into the man’s stomach as Gavin keeled over and began to cough. Connor wanted to frown, he wanted to rip James apart, piece by piece. He wanted him to feel pain, even if he was incapable of feeling it. He wanted him to suffer. After that, James shook his head in disapproval as he gave Gavin a pat ontop of the head. A hard pat.

After that had occured, Connor felt a stronger urge to get up. But he remained seated. This felt so uncomfortable and sickening. ‘’Don’t you just love it when a human is hurt. Don’t you worry, little detective, you’ll find peace soon.’’ James reassured Gavin who spat blood on the floor as it dripped down from his lip. Don’t forget that an android used the gun and his own force to impact his gut - it hurt like a bitch. ‘’Well then. Connor, please, come here.’’ Connor slowly stood up before he gazed over Gavin and awaited what was to come. James, who now stood aside of him, offered him the gun in his hand. Connor took the gun and looked at James for instructions - like a dog would. ‘’Kill this human, Connor. He _doesn’t_ deserve to live.’’ Gavin’s grey eyes slowly lifted to Connor’s, and Connor aimed the gun at his head.

‘' _Do it_ , asshole.’’ Gavin taunted, and Connor put his finger on the trigger. In that moment, all eyes were fixated on Connor, and he was waiting for that. When James turned his gaze to Gavin, Connor kicked him the knee and that alone made him sink to the ground, and with that, Connor used the suspect as a meatshield - the others didn’t want to shoot at him, as he was their leader. So Connor shot the only source of light in the room, and that was the light behind him. He had already chosen the best approach: once the light bulb was shot and it went dark, the android shot the other four in the heads, and they fell to the ground, one by one. Then he put the gun to James’ head, pressing the barrel of it against his temple. ‘’I would never side with someone like you. You’re deluded - you are blinded.’’ The android detective kicked him once again untill the man was on the ground and he pulled the thirium regulator from the android’s chest until he would deactivate. His memory would remain intact upon activation again, and this was safer than sleep mode.

Connor could see in the dark. His eyes moved around the room to make sure it was safe, and once he validated that it was, he threw the gun away and put the regulator of the suspect safely away in his jacket. His LED was a bright red by now as he moved towards Gavin and knelt down. He untied the ropes around his wrists and then supported him as he fell forward. Connor couldn’t bear this - once again, he was a victim. ‘’Easy, Detective Reed. I have you. - I will bring you to the hospital and make a request for the suspect to be picked up.’’ Gavin’s movements were sloppy and his responses were even slower. ‘’Fuck..- I thought..- prick.’’ Connor frowned as he guided Gavin through the narrow hallway and outside towards their car. ‘’I would never betray you, or the DCPD. I thought you knew this and trusted me. I will try to improve for the future, so you don’t have to doubt me.’’

When they got to the car, he put Gavin in the passenger-seat, secured his seatbelt without any objections, and he started the engine of the car. But before he could put his foot on the gas, there was a tapping on the window of the driver. Connor immediately pulled his gun from his holster and lowered the window before aiming it at the deviant outside of it. It was Ralph. ''Ralph is very sorry! Ralph didn't mean to bring you in danger, but they said if Ralph didn't listen, Ralph would die. Ralph apologizes!'' Connor seemed a little skeptical, but he believed the man. That android was anxious and he had mood swings. They obviously used Ralph to lure in Connor because they knew eachother. ''Can Ralph have his eye, please? Ralph promises he won't be a problem a-anymore.'' He nodded several times and his expression was pleading. Eventually, Connor holstered his gun again and briefly looked to Gavin. ''Fine. But don't cross our path again.'' He grabbed the box where the optical-unit was inside from under his seat and handed it to Ralph who began jumping like an excited child and smiled. ''Ralph thanks you! Ralph wishes you good luck!''

With that dealt with, Connor turned the wheel, hit the gas, and drove the both of them to the hospital. Gavin was far from conscious and that was concerning. He had atleast saved him, and that mattered.


	11. Unexpected Confession

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hurray. Connor is hit in the face with love.

Finally, it had come to an end. The killing spree of a mad-man who thought that killing innocents would improve the world and make things better for every single android in it. Connor would disagree. The man in question was deluded and had clearly lost himself. Androids didn’t often gain pleasure from killing, so that left room for questions, many of them. And in many cases, the killer was traumatized and killed because of what had happened to them. Connor was certain he had a reason - and he was going to discover what it was.

 

~~

 

These thoughts passed his mind as he drove Gavin to the hospital. In a matter of minutes, they arrived and Connor carried the wounded detective out of the vehicle and to the entrance of the massive building. Once again, it was late, and he had arrived at a similar time as he had before. There was staff walking around, and several other people present who were seated in the waiting room with minor hand injuries or something similar. The android detective wasn’t going to wait, so he once again yelled to acquire attention. Gavin desperately needed to be seen to, because the human was shifting between consciousness, and he had little energy left in his limbs. Connor shouldn’t have let him come - Connor should’ve brought him home and insisted he would rest until he would’ve fully recovered.

He _didn’t,_ though. And that irked him.

The same nurse he had spoken to before approached him and she offered him an all-knowing smile in attempt to reassure him. The staff was already alerted by his yelling and he made quite the dramatic entrance as well. The blonde woman soon made sure that Gavin was properly taken care off and moved to a hospital bed to receive a medical assessment.

The android wasn’t placated - he was once again enduring the same feeling he had before, and it was not easy to erase. The nurse gave him an expression of sympathy and she sat down next to him as she tried to soothe him in the best possible way - not the direction one would take for an android, but the direction one would take for a concerned human being. ‘’It’s _my_ fault again.’’ Connor said in a sad tone as his gaze descended and he could feel an overwhelming sensation of sorrow washing over him as his eyes closed.

The woman shook her head and tried to take a hand of his in her own, enveloping the limb. ‘’Your friend will be okay. You have to trust me. This is not your fault, and we will do everything in our power to make sure he will make a full recovery. We shall keep him longer - at least for two days, so we can monitor him and provide him with the medicine he needs. How did he end up like this?’’ Connor’s brow arched as he gazed towards her, appreciating her attempt at trying to calm him down and reassure him, but he was surprised by the fact that she asked how he ended up like this. ‘’During duty. He was abducted and assaulted.’’

The woman sighed softly and once again shook her head. ‘’We told him to go home and rest. No strenuous activity or movements. He was prescribed medicine as well.’’

Bloody, stubborn bastard that Gavin Reed is. He didn’t listen to the doctor or the nurse, and just went back to active duty with a light concussion that didn’t help. He didn’t even take any kind of medicine either, now Connor thought of it. He never saw the man take anything.

As Connor contemplated, he offered her a nod and eventually stood up, which made his hand withdraw from her own. ‘’Thank you. I hope to see him back at the DCPD soon. Please, take good care of Detective Reed.’’ She inclined her head in return, letting him know that he would be in good hands if he _actually_ listened to them and didn’t wander off like a puppy with no leash and no sense of logic. It was amusing in a way - Connor would probably have done the same if he were in Gavin’s shoes, because he didn’t want to be tied to a bed by medical red tape and be told he had to rest for a week or even longer. He would jump out of his bed and return to duty immediately if he didn’t tumble over the first second.

 

~~

 

Eventually, the android detective left the hospital building and looked towards Gavin’s car. He wasn’t sure if he should park it here, or return it to the DCPD’s parking lot. He opted for the latter, because it was familiar territory and they probably had security cameras everywhere. If the car would be stolen, they’d know. So he got into the car, started it, and drove back to the DCPD. When he arrived, he parked the car at Gavin’s usual spot and took the keys before he locked the vehicle and walked inside the department to see if the suspect had been picked-up already. Several people were dragging a tall, lifeless android through the hall and it was by no doubt James. Connor was glad that they had him now - it didn’t feel right to leave him there alone, with the other four dead androids. It was unfortunate he had to shoot them, but the situation pressed him to.

The Captain, who was definitely working overtime, considering he was still in his office, saw Connor enter and he seemed to lit up entirely. He stood up the instant and moved to the door of his office, and he called Connor inside. ‘’Connor, inside!’’ The android inclined his head and moved up the small staircase that led to his superior’s office and watched the man take a seat on his chair again. He seemed more bubbly and surprisingly happy - no frown or glare was seen on his features, and only a wide, amused smile was present. He leaned forth and slammed a hand on the table as Connor lapped one hand over the other at his front again. ‘’Well done, Connor! I didn’t think you could’ve done it, but here I have the damn killer in my building! I won’t ask how you did it, but I still need a confession from the guy. But congratulations on solving the case.’’ Fowler leaned forth and peered around for a moment, searching for something or someone. ‘’Where the hell is Gavin?’’

Connor felt conflicted inside his head as he received the compliment - he wasn’t happy as Gavin wasn’t here, and he was once again in the hospital. ‘’He’s in the hospital, Captain.’’ Connor stated as he tried to keep his emotions in control. His LED, however, was yellow.

Fowler leaned back in his chair and folded his arms with a deep sigh. ‘’I better hope he’s not getting wounded for the sake of seeing the nurses. Damn princess, that.’’ Connor wasn’t particularly pleased with how the captain spoke of a detective that got wounded on duty - a detective that risked his life despite the fact how much of an asshole he could be. ‘’Thank you, Captain Fowler. I’m glad today’s accomplishment has pleased you. Am I allowed to leave?’’ The dark man saw the android’s LED flicker yellow and figured he needed a break, so he waved dismissively with a hand. ‘’Interrogation tomorrow, don’t forget.’’ Connor inclined his head and walked outside of the office before he closed the door. He looked towards Gavin’s empty office and approached it to plant the keys on it. He frowned as he felt like he was going to break down, but his body was not what his mind was. How fragile his mind was right now, his limbs were strong and functional.

Fowler, who watched Connor, could see that he lingered at Gavin’s desk for a while.

The android eventually shook his head and removed himself from the table and walked towards the front entrance. His eyes gazed around the premise in the darkness and the few lights of the lamps that shone. He was glad he caught him, but at what risk? And why did Gavin matter so much to him now? No, it wasn’t because it was Gavin. It couldn’t be. The night was calm and cold. The wind blew against his hair as he walked towards the bus stop again and pressed his lips together. The time would pass by slowly tonight. Everything felt like it was happening in slow-motion and his heart was equally as slow. It wasn’t untill the bus driver called for the android that he returned to reality and he offered his apologies.

When he got home, Hank was already asleep and Sumo was in his room too. Connor entered his own room and closed the door behind him, and he began to wonder about something. He had a mirror, but why? When he undressed himself, he visualized his own body - it was smooth with some muscle, but lean and defined enough. He was pale, but he had a healthy complexion, and he appeared as a man in his twenties. His hand elevated and ran across his cheek as he viewed himself - he had never done such a thing before. He was an android - a machine, now with feelings and desires, and the latter was suppressed and in denial. After a few minutes, he declared himself an idiot for doing this and got himself into another suit as he folded his clothing and sat down on the bed. After that, he put himself into stand-by mode until the late morning and prepared himself for another day.

 

~~

 

The day of the interrogation, and he was waiting for it. He took the regulator with him, otherwise the deviant was useless. He had been looking forward to this, and now he could start getting some answers. He didn’t want to wait any longer as he wanted to have answers for everyone ready - for the poor families, for himself, the DCPD and for Gavin and Hank.

When he arrived at the department, he went in a straight-line towards the interrogation room where the motionless body of the android sat on the chair. His wrists were restrained, and so were his feet. It was a powerful android, and safety measures had to be taken in this case. One of the officers in the other room - Chris Miller - oversaw the interrogation as Gavin nor Hank was present. Chris pressed the button and spoke: ‘’Okay, Connor. You can start when you’re ready. It’s recording.’’ Connor nodded towards the two-way glass in confirmation before he proceeded. He dug up the regulator from his jacket and put it inside the android, who immediately woke up and instead of panicking from ‘dying’, just eyed Connor with a smirk. He knew this would come. He was expecting it.

‘’Look who we have here. My ally, Connor.’’ He said dryly as he watched Connor step away from him and move to the chair on the other side of the table he was restrained to. The android detective’s lips pressed together before he sat down and took a hold of the documents which had the pictures of the crime scenes and the victims. ‘’James.’’ Connor said cooly as he moved his gazed from the paper to the android across from him. ‘’You’re under arrest an account of first-degree murder of five victims.’’ James just leaned back as far as he could and started to laugh in amusement and mockery. ‘’Oh, well, thanks for informing me of that. I didn’t know I’d killed _only five_. Shame about Gavin Reed. Would’ve _loved_ to have him added to the count.’’ Connor’s brows furrowed and his LED began to shift yellow.

‘’Why did you kill them? There has to be more than wanting freedom.’’ Connor inquired as he tried to push back the anger that was tangling around his limbs. ‘’You didn’t do it for pleasure either.’’ Connor turned the document around so James could see it and he spread the pictures of all the humans that had fallen prey to the man’s killing desires. ‘’These.’’ Connor said in a firmer tone. ‘’These are all the people you’ve robbed of their lives. You’ve caused families alot of pain and they want justice. They _want_ answers.’’ The broad android across from him peered down at the pictures with callousness and just continued to grin. ‘’Oh. Did I hit a nerve? I’m _really_ sorry. I mean, I’d do you a pleasure and everyone else here if Gavin Reed had died. He’s got no family, so no family hurt in the process either.’’ Connor was starting to become angry, and that anger couldn’t be seen by someone like James. So Connor took a moment and tried to compose himself. He would have to turn this game around.

‘’Perhaps you’re doing all of this because you’ve lost someone yourself - someone a human killed. An android that you loved has died.’’ James’ features blanked for a moment as his gaze averted to the side and it seemed Connor had made a lucky guess. It was common for many murderers: revenge. So he continued to prod the man with the needle. ‘’I bet it was terrible to see her die. You probably begged for her life and they didn’t care. They shot her without mercy.’’ James was a ticking time bomb as he eventually lunged forth towards Connor and his brows furrowed. ‘’You don’t know a thing! They were cold, ruthless killers who killed Jane. They didn’t even let her surrender - shot her straight in the head while she cried. What kind of people are humans when they kill without mercy?! Why should I show them any as I break their necks?! Tell me that!’’ Connor’s eyes darkened slightly at the information he gained and he could feel the frustration of James. ‘’That doesn’t justify anything. These people were innocent - there were children.’’

James studied Connor for a while as he had calmed down from his own tantrum and scoffed lowly. ‘’You know. I’ve never seen someone come so fast to the rescue. Not even an android.’’ James began to smirk again as he had another in mind, it seemed. ‘’Usually they would wait for reinforcements, or they would take some time to formulate a plan. But no - not you. You came immediately. Despite how advanced you are..’’ James trailed off as he glanced towards the two-way glass and after that, into the camera behind him. ‘’You see, I’ve got a theory about it all, and I really want to share it with you, Connor. Tell me if I’m wrong.’’ Connor didn’t want to play games, so he gathered the pictures and put them back in the map. But James wasn’t going to stop now. ‘’I was in love, and I know the feeling. And I _know_ how someone acts if they’re in love.’’ Connor froze for a moment as his eyes trailed to the man’s green ones, narrowing. ‘’You’re in love with Gavin Reed, aren’t you. It’s kinda cute. I didn’t think you cared for him, so my risk was a big one, but here you came running like a dog and rescued him.’’

Connor’s thirium pump began pounding rapidly inside the confinement of his chest and his brown eyes eventually tore their gaze away from the android’s. His hands tightened their grip on the map and his LED began to flicker a vibrant red color as James smiled pleasantly. ‘’You didn’t even _know,_ did you.’’ James started to laugh and he rolled his eyes at the sight. Connor, however, lost his temper and he wandered over to the android and immediately threw a punch at his face - it made no sense. He couldn’t feel it, but anger was an emotion, and he reacted on it. ‘’You are completely mistaken. Don’t make me deactivate you this instant.’’ The android detective threatened him, but James wasn’t impressed. ‘’An android and a human. Lovely package. Maybe there’s some hope for them left.’’

That made the bucket run over.

His hand reached for the man’s regulator and he pulled it out without hesitation. He had the confession and that’s all what was needed. If he needed anything else, he could probe his intact memory on a later date. As he walked outside the interrogation and into the next room with his brows slightly furrowed and his LED still red, Chris offered a rather awkward nod as Connor offered him not even a glance but did speak. ‘’Show it to the Captain, please. I will retire for the night.’’

 

He was _NOT_ in love with Gavin Reed. Not now. Not ever. But who was he fooling?


	12. Bonding and Problems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God, I hope you guys are still enjoying this.
> 
> I feel like I'm getting their personalities wrong and it's so frustraaaaating.
> 
> I'll make some minor changes to this chapter aswell and fix grammar errors.

The day he had been looking forward to turned out to be a day where he made a discovery. And not only did that discovery pose as a confirmation for all the feelings he had, but also for the strange way he had behaved whenever he was around Gavin Reed. From hoping that he would acquire a full confession, to actually confessing to himself that he was in love with a man everyone loves to hate. He didn’t _want_ to admit, but he could no longer deny it. There was something in that man, despite how arrogant and rude he was, that drew Connor to him.

And the fact he now knew that he felt something for him made it all the more difficult to be around him with that knowledge. And for the moment, he was thankful Gavin was not here.

If Gavin was in Chris’ stead and had overseen the interrogation, Connor was certain that it would have caused alot of problems between the two of them. Even more than there already were. The entire effort of trying to establish some sort of relationship with Gavin where animosity was barely present would all be in vain, and Connor didn’t want to it be. But it was fortunate for him that he wasn’t _here_ and he hadn’t _heard_ those words. Because Connor had no idea of how he would respond - perhaps he would become more aggressive and would even mock him about his discovery and his sexuality. Especially because Connor had a feeling that Gavin Reed was as straight as a man could possibly be - and Connor was not sure what he was himself.

Eden Club was a testament to the sexualities of androids. When he was there, he knew that the clients could either be with a female android, or a male android. And he was certain that they even were altered and adjusted to the point that they could provide sexual pleasure for one of the same gender. The Traci’s he was after were in love - and they were both women.

Even if androids were machines to begin with and had no real gender identity, they became deviant, and they became aware of feelings, and that also made them realize that love applied to genders and beyond it. That homosexuality wasn’t uncommon - that it wasn’t wrong. But for Connor, everything regarding romance and intimacy scared him.

 

~~

 

As Connor left the department, he came to a pause a few metres from the entrance. More thoughts surfaced, and he questioned if he took the right approach in the interrogation. Because he did get a confession -  one that validated that he killed those people. But he also exposed himself and showed vulnerability - Connor didn’t like showing that to others. The only he felt comfortable enough around, and trusted enough, was Hank. He considered for a moment to return inside to ask Chris if he could edit the tape so the last part would be cut out, but he couldn’t let an officer tamper with evidence - that would risk his job, and he was not going to put him in that position. And the fact even Chris heard it made him insecure.

What if Chris had the sudden urge to tell everyone? What if the Captain was going to? The _entire_ DCPD would make fun of him for crushing on a detective that had made his life a living hell thus far, and it also was a _man_ . He didn’t know if that made it any worse, but he didn’t want to wait around and see how it would escalate. But it was too late by now. He had made his decision, and he would have to trust that Chris and the Captain wouldn’t delve into his personal affairs. And secretly, he hoped that they thought James was making a wild guess in attempts to rile Connor up, and he had strangely succeeded. Connor would blame it on the fact he was a ruthless killer. _That_ was reason enough to anger Connor on its own.

As he continued to walk and approached the bus stop, he looked upwards to the sky again and pondered about the future. He would outlive humans - by an estimate of his batter, he could become atleast two-hundred if he wasn’t killed before that time, and if his battery died, he could just have it replaced. In most perspectives, he was immortal. And not to mention, these feelings would haunt him forever. Should he tell Hank that he was in love with the man he despised? Probably not, Hank would likely declare him a fool and tell him it’s just something the suspect did to make him doubt and get into his head. There was no way that _anyone_ would _ever_ fall in _love_ with someone like _GAVIN REED._ Absolutely impossible.

But why did his thirium pump beat so fast at the thought of Gavin? His face alone caused it.

He couldn’t deny it anymore, and whatever this was, he pleaded to whatever god that it would subside so he no longer was distracted by it.

As he stepped inside the bus once it arrived, he sat down in the far back onto the two person seater and glanced outside the window. He was alone in the bus - there were no other people on it, except for the driver who had become accustomed to Connor taking the bus at the early morning and the late evening. They never asked each other's names, but they knew each other's faces and occupations. The man was kind to him, and Connor was thankful. And even if he wasn’t, he didn’t know any better. Many androids chose to remove their LED to appear human as a deviant, but Connor never had the urge to remove his. It was a part of him, and he would never want to fool someone by appearing as a human while he was not. He wasn’t born as a baby and grew up - he was created, he was thirium and advanced technology. But, despite that all, he had feelings. He felt like they did.

When they stopped nearby Hank’s house, he inclined his head and stepped outside the vehicle before he procured the keys from his jacket and opened the door. It was friday evening, and he was glad the week was almost with. It was a terrible week - he had endured so many emotions and made so many discoveries that he was surprised by himself. Just realizing that he still was able to go through with everything and keep his head focused on the case and he had succeeded, despite the distractions that were thrown his way. By now, he was wondering if Hank had fully recovered from his illness, because Connor missed him.

When he walked inside the living room, Sumo stood up the moment he saw the android and walked towards him with his tail wagging and his big eyes were staring up at Connor. The android couldn’t resist this dog - it was big, and it was adorable. So he knelt down and moved his arms around the dog and patted its back with rough strokes that emulated a massage. The dog’s eyes became half-lidded as he enjoyed the back rub and Connor finally released him.

Hank sat on the couch and had a beer can in his hand with the remote in the other. He was watching some sort of movie, and Connor couldn’t say which one it was. ‘’Good evening, Lieutenant. How are you feeling?’’ The grey-haired man looked alot better than he did in the beginning of the week, and that alone made Connor less worried. Hank slowly leaned up to peer at Connor and offered a wide smile as he patted the spot next to himself on the couch. The android understood what he meant and approached the couch and sat down. He tried to cross one leg over the other to appear casual, but it looked strange and stiff instead. ‘’I’m feeling great. I think I’ll be ready to return next week if things keep going this way.’’ Hank observed Connor and looked at him in amusement as the android struggled to assume a humanoid position on the couch. ‘’Jesus, Connor. What are you trying to do? You’ll break a leg if you keep doing that.’’ Hank just shook his head in amusement and briefly looked back at the TV and noticed a rather intimate scene was shown. ‘’Well, that’s timing.’’ Connor who was trying to adjust his position after he had gathered it looked ridiculous now just sat down as he normally did and moved his gaze from Hank towards the TV and cleared his throat.

‘’I should let you watch the movie.’’ Connor said in a somewhat distant tone and he slowly moved to stand up before Hank reached out with his hand and forced him down on the couch. ‘’Hey, we barely spend any time together this week. And you really are giving me the impression something’s wrong, Connor. Do you want to tell me what’s going on?’’ Hank was assuming that father-role model again - Connor couldn’t blame him for it. His son was dead, and he dearly missed Cole. The fact Connor probably reminded him of the kid made the concern of the man understandable, so he didn’t object and sat down again. His hands rubbed his legs before he rested them at his knees and looked towards his left - away from Hank and the TV. ‘’Lieutenant..’’ He softly began, and Hank interrupted him. ‘’Hank.’’ Connor glanced towards him and offered a brief nod. ‘’Hank. I think I’m in love.’’

Hank blinked several times before he cleared his throat and put the beer can down on the table, aswell as the remote for good measure. He even turned down the sound of the TV so he could focus on what Connor was saying. ‘’Holy shit.’’ Hank said in surprise. It was indeed a surprise - it was only a few days ago he spoke to Connor about the subject of sex, and now, Connor had told him that he was in love with someone. And Hank’s head was wondering how that happened. ‘’Jesus, are you sure?’’ He inquired as he searched Connor’s features, and his LED began to shift from blue, to yellow, and from yellow to a distinctive red. ‘’Yes, Hank. I’m afraid I am sure.’’ Hank just stared at him for a while as he was trying to get a hold on the situation and he wasn’t sure how he had to handle it. ‘’Well, uh. When did you know that you were in love, huh?’’ Connor’s eyes were glued to the floor and his expression seemed saddened - if anything, he looked despondent and utterly miserable. ‘’Less than an hour ago.’’

The android didn’t want to talk about this, but he didn’t want to bottle it all up either. He trusted Hank, and Hank trusted him. They were family and they help one another. But it didn’t make it any easier - nor did the fact that Connor know little to nothing about love, and then he had to explain how he knew - and he didn’t want to explain, because that would mean he had to tell Hank about the interrogation and about Gavin. And Hank and Gavin weren’t best buddies. ‘’Well, how’s that a bad thing? Love’s great, isn’t it? Does she know? Do I know her?’’ Connor felt his heart beating rapidly again, and this time it wasn’t because of Gavin. It was because he felt nervous and he was afraid of judgement. But if Hank really was the person he thought he was, he would respect all of this. ‘’It’s not..- it’s not a _she.’’_ Connor muttered as Hank looked aside and he tried to put two and two together. He grabbed his beer can and drank the rest of it, probably needing it. ‘’Right, I _get_ it. It’s a guy. I’m not against it or anything. I mean, I remember those Traci’s at Eden Club and all. All happy for them. So you gonna tell me who the guy is?’’

Connor could decide now. Hank was supportive already of the fact he was not in love with a woman, but with a man, and he wasn’t even disgusted by the thought of it. Perhaps he just wanted the best for Connor and what made him happy, and Connor knew deep inside that Hank would never judge him or cast him aside for any of his choices. So when the moment came, and he had made the decision, although with reluctance and doubt, he glanced to Hank and feared the man’s response, but he went through with it. ‘’It’s..detective..Reed.’’

At that moment, he closely watched Hank’s response. His grey hair was a mess and he made it even more of a mess as he ran a hand through it and then dragged it over his features before he composed himself and eventually nodded. ‘’I don’t know what you see in the asshole, but if that’s how you feel, I won’t be able to change your mind, Connor. Just know I want the best for you, and I don’t know if _he_ is that.’’ Hank moved closer to the android and warped an arm around his shoulder and pulled him in for a hug as Connor hesitated, but he lifted his own arms and moved them around Hank’s frame. This was a hug he needed, desperately, and he hadn’t realized until he had received it. ‘’It doesn’t make sense to me either, Hank, but..- I am drawn to him. I believe there’s more to him.’’ Hank eventually withdrew from the hug and offered a supportive smile. ‘’I love you, Connor. Like my own son. But if that ass is going to break hearts, you’ll see how angry old Hank can get here. - Now let’s watch the movie. You’ll learn more about romance.’’

 

~~

 

During the weekend, Connor had been able to learn alot more about romance, and he had watched a few romantic movies on tv with Hank to gain more knowledge about it all worked. Physical attraction, but as well attraction to one’s personality. And then of course there came the intercourse which made Connor speechless and he didn’t respond verbally whenever such a moment occurred, and Hank had the time of his life - laughing. But in most of the movies there was a plot: a plot that made two people fall in love, one way or another. Some of them liked each other from the start, while others hated each other from the start. But they were forced together in situations, and those slowly made them value one another.

Connor then demanded he needed a distraction that wasn’t about his newfound love. He helped Hank around the house, fixed the sink in the kitchen and then even helped him put on a new layer of paint in and outside the house that made the house look significantly better. When Connor finished painting the house, he looked towards the garden and planted a few plants he had bought and it made it look very lively - not as dreadful as it was before.

And ofcourse, Hank hadn’t gone anywhere during the week, so he even did the man’s groceries and they had an enjoyable weekend and had alot of fun. Quality time.

 

~~

 

When the weekend was over, Connor felt alot better, and his LED had been blue for most of the time. Hank was also ready to return to duty, and they had a few new cases that needed to be worked on, but they weren’t as important as the former one, so they could take their time. The both of them got into Hank’s car after they said goodbye to Sumo and had fed him, and they drove back to the DCPD and parked the vehicle in the parking lot alongside the others. It was early in the morning, and Connor had insisted that Hank would for _once_ arrive early at the department. Because he wanted Hank to compensate for his absence and show Fowler that Hank didn’t need more warnings and made a good start after he had gotten better. It was a sunny day, and that was the indicator of a good day - atleast he thought it would be. As the pair of them walked to their desks, Hank sat down in his trusty chair and Connor across from him with a wide smile, very much happy Hank was back again. But the peace didn’t last long as Fowler opened the door from his office and yelled for Connor.

‘’Excuse me, Lieutenant.’’ Connor dipped his head in an apologetic manner and wandered towards Fowler’s office before he entered and closed the door politely behind him. ‘’How can I be of service, Captain Fowler?’’ Connor stood before the man’s desk and linked his arms behind his back as his eyes attentively locked upon the man’s. Fowler was in a neutral mood it seemed. For one, Hank was back, which was his most precious Lieutenant, but on the other side, his detective was still not back. ‘’I wanted to thank you for your efforts and all, Connor. I know I’m not the nicest person here, but sometimes it’s needed. Just know that the DCPD appreciates everything you do - and between you and me - what I saw in your interrogation tape..- it’s between you and him. I’m not delving in between it.’’ Connor inclined his head and his LED briefly turned yellow. ‘’Thank you..- I appreciate that, Captain. Can I return to my desk?’’ The man nodded and Connor made way to return to his desk, but the moment he set foot outside, he saw him.

 

_Him._

 

_Gavin, fuckin’, Reed._

 

The detective was meandering in the long hallway leading upto the room with all the desks and he immediately headed for Captain Fowler’s office. Likely to report on how he was doing and the like after he was released from the hospital. When Connor noticed that Gavin had seen him, Connor felt a sudden thump in his throat and his heart wasn’t pumping normally as it should. It was beating fast again - he didn’t want it to! But it did! So Connor quickly walked down the small staircase and tried to evade Gavin as best as possible, but Gavin wasn’t having that. ‘’Hey, Connor.’’ He said as he got to the end of the stairs and blocked the android’s path. Connor looked down to the floor in hopes it would go away, but it didn’t. ‘’I’m fuckin’ talking to you, prick.’’ The android was working overtime as he tried to stabilize himself, and hearing him, and seeing him wasn’t helping. ‘’Excuse me, I’ve urgent matters to attend to.’’ The android gently pushed past Gavin who peered at him oddly and finally moved inside his superior’s office.

Connor sat down in his chair across from Hank who had witnessed the entire thing and gave him a supportive smile. ‘’Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.’’ He said in reassurance as he resumed his work and Connor tried to do the same.

After five minutes, Gavin walked out of the office, grabbed himself a coffee and sat down at his desk. He opened the database and gained entry to the interrogation video, and considering he was on the same case with Connor, he was allowed access to all its evidence, including ‘Android Interrogation: James.’ The detective opened the file and it began playing - but not before he plugged in some earplugs and listened and watched.


	13. So close, yet so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for not updating in so long, guys!
> 
> I was on vacation! So sorry! But I've a new chapter here, and I also made some fixes to the other ones.
> 
> I noticed that Connor said 'it', with the deviants and not 'he/she', as he's supposed to after he deviated himself, so that was a HUGE mistake on my part. I also did more investigation into Connor's behaviour and Gavin's, so hopefully things will work out from here.
> 
> Here's Bryan Dechart (Connor) meeting Jacksepticeye.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1yl1Oz30_k
> 
> I also considered making Gavin a homophobe, but that'd feel like a real dick-move as I think it would really make him unlikable, considering the game is friendly towards LGBT as far as I know.
> 
> And as far as Gavin's body goes, that's your interpretation. Lots of scars? Tattoos? Your choice :) I personally love scars and tattoos, so I think I just might impliment that. So don't hate me for it!

This was not faring too well, and being in this situation didn’t benefit Connor or his concentration which had been failing him for the past days. All he wanted was to get rid of this feeling, but that was next to impossible as he was faced with the problem on a daily basis - and that problem was walking on legs and spewing insults his way perpetually. Seeing him everyday wasn’t that big of a deal - but it became a big of a deal now he knew that the man in question caused his thirium pump to beat like it was about to explode. It became a struggle to avoid looking at Gavin in a certain way, because he was madly in love with him, and didn’t want to pull an expression on his face that would betray his feelings. Not that he think his expressions ever would - he was just an android that was feeling like a human and had no idea how he fell in love with a person that hated his guts. Not literally, since he has none - just biocomponents, which technically were guts…- right?

Connor didn’t feel comfortable with the situation, and if possible, he would try to avoid Gavin as much as he could. Afterall, the case was solved, and they wouldn’t have to interact with one another anymore since it was no longer needed. Infact, they had no reason to talk at all considering one hated the other, and the other loved the one who hated him. It almost sounded like a bad novel that people just adored to read because it’s _so_ bad that it’s actually good. But why Gavin Reed. Out of all people, why him? Why couldn’t Connor fall for someone who is nice, caring and polite? Why the only asshole who was disliked by everyone in the department, and who went out of his way to make Connor’s life a hell. _Why?_

Even Connor couldn’t answer that. Nobody could. It didn’t have to make sense, because it’s how he felt, and he couldn’t help that.

 

~~

 

The day started well, though that didn’t last for long. When Connor saw Gavin was back again and apparently on active duty, sitting at his desk, on the computer, he felt a sense of unease. His eyes were fixated on the detective ahead and it became a struggle to look at anything else than his object of obsession. The man looked better, atleast, so that was a relief, but Connor didn’t believe he had recovered enough to return to duty, and he felt like he had to tell the captain about this. Not because he wanted Gavin gone, but also because he worried for the man’s health - if went back out on the field, fighting crime, and his head injury decided to cause trouble, it could easily result in his death, and nobody wanted that to happen. Connor especially not. It sounded stupid, but he felt like he had to inform the captain, even if Gavin probably persuaded him to let him work because he was just a pain in the ass and not worth the argue or the time. Connor couldn’t blame Fowler for thinking that way. Gavin Reed was friendly to few, and he had a serious unpleasant attitude.

Hank, who was seated across from him, looked at the android detective with raised brows and finally followed the man’s gaze to the other detective at his desk. The older man rolled his eyes shortly after and put his attention on Connor, trying to wake him up from his trance. ‘’Connor.’’ He stated as he waved a hand in attempt to acquire his attention, and the android finally snapped his gaze from Reed to Anderson in a matter of seconds. The grey haired man incredulously eyed the android as he put his hand down again and just sighed. ‘’You realize that people will notice, right. I mean, you told me, but you’re basically salivating over him like a schoolgirl.’’ Hank leaned forth on the desk, keeping his voice low because he wanted to be discreet for Connor’s sake. ‘’Just forget about him. He’s an asshole and you can probably find alot better. Plenty of fish in the pond.’’ The android stared at Hank as he progressed the words the man had said, though he soon looked aside and a doubtful expression washed over his features instead. ‘’I don’t know, Lieutenant. Have you ever considered he keeps people at a distance for a particular reason?’’ Connor tilted his head as he inquired, curiosity reaching his chocolate eyes as Hank looked dumbfounded. ‘’I would have to say you’re quite..forward aswell, Lieutenant, which tends to keep people away. But we are friends now, aren’t we? Perhaps I can find out why the detective acts like this.’’

Touche, Connor.

Hank scrunched up his nose as evidence was thrown in his face and he didn’t have much to counter it with. Not that he was going to try - he was old and human. Connor was six months old and had the best memory in the whole world by what he knew. So he simply settled for scoffing a moment later and leaning back in his chair with some annoyance. ‘’Believe me, Connor. Reed is like that because he wants to be. He likes getting on people’s nerves, and that’s it. If I were you, I’d stop trying to help a lost cause.’’ Connor’s eyes darkened at Hank’s words, and Hank probably realized he hadn’t formulated it right, but even he had used different words, Gavin and Hank were rivals - they disliked eachother alot. The android briefly glanced towards Reed again and eventually towards Fowler’s office before turning his attention back to Hank. ‘’You _shouldn’t_ say that, Lieutenant. You don’t know what he has been through. I know I have no right to say this, but you know very well that you were a lost cause yourself. You tried to end your life several times, but you’re still here, and I’m very grateful that we’ve come this far with our relationship. Perhaps you can’t give him a chance, but I will.’’ Connor eventually stood up from his desk and slid the chair back before he walked directly towards Fowler’s office and knocked on the door with a gentle tap.

Fowler was reading a book of some sort - probably on behaviour or something. Connor didn’t bother scanning it as he established eye-contact with his superior once he stood inside, overlapping one hand over the other and keeping his back straight. Fowler finally lifted his gaze towards the android detective, showing a rather annoyed expression that was either caused by the book he was reading, his previous conversation with Gavin, or another factor Connor had no current knowledge about. So when he finally was granted permission to speak, the android inclined his head. ‘’I am worried about Detective Reed.’’ He stated as Fowler already twitched an eye at the name itself. ‘’No kidding.’’ He stated dryly in return, with added sarcasm, which Connor couldn’t quite comprehend yet. ‘’I am not kidding.’’ He eventually looked towards Gavin who saw that Connor was looking at him - which meant that Gavin had been looking at him before Connor even looked. The android quickly snapped his gaze back to Fowler with an awkward expression as he didn’t quite know what to do now. The captain, on the other hand, didn’t have all day and he wanted to hear what the android had to say, so he closed the book, slammed it on the desk and pushed it aside. ‘’Well, Connor, I don’t have all day, so tell me what’s wrong with the Princess.’’

His thirium pump was working overtime again, and he knew why he was feeling like he did. Gavin was infact quite a handsome man by standards - well groomed hair, a light stubble on his chin and jaw, and he wasn’t sure if anyone noticed those intense grey eyes and the peculiar scar that had formed on his nose bridge. People were probably too busy trying to avoid him, because looks can deceive, and Gavin’s mouth was no good news when it opened. Connor composed himself before he continued, briefly adjusting his tie with both his hands, neatening his jacket aswell with both his hands. ‘’The nurse at the hospital informed me that the detective was prescribed medicine and rest. And that was when he was first injured last week.’’ Fowler raised a brow and glanced towards Gavin who now averted his gaze elsewhere and pretended to find the ceiling the most interesting thing around. ‘’’Well. Call him in and I’ll get to it.’’ Connor blinked several times, seemingly not understanding what the captain was planning to do, so he leaned in slightly and questioned him. ‘’What are you going to do, Captain Fowler?’’ The human just gestured with a hand towards the door as if saying that Connor should shut his trap and call Gavin Reed as discussed. So when Connor wasn’t given an answer, he just nodded and walked towards the door, opening it and looking directly at Gavin. ‘’..Detective Reed. The Captain wants to..see you.’’ He said with nerves creeping up on him.

Gavin, who was seated at his desk, stopped the video at the moment where James had just calmed down and was about to speak again. The detective removed the earplugs and put his computer into stand-by mode before he got up and wandered towards the stairs of the Captain’s office with some difficulty. Connor, who stood near the door, watched the detective with the urge to help him, and he was fighting himself at this point to stop fussing over the man. As the detective finally reached the top of the stairs, he eyed Connor with some annoyance, pushing him aside because he was blocking most of the entry to the office. Connor couldn’t hide his frown as he closed the door behind him and walked into the office to see if he should stay or if he had to leave. Gavin still looked pale, despite the fact he was trying to be his old self, and pretending nothing was wrong - weakness couldn’t be shown.

‘’So, the hospital told me you were prescribed medicine and rest. And you didn’t fucking take either of those. What am I supposed to do with you, Reed?’’ Gavin’s grey eyes ventured from the captain to the android near the door, who evaded his gaze like his life depended on it. ‘’No shit. Let me do my damn work here. Simple as that.’’ Fowler shook his head as he glanced to Connor for a moment, and then back to Gavin. ‘’You’re not fit for duty - you’re going to go home like Hank did, and you’re going to sit tight until you’re fully recovered.’’

Gavin’s eyes narrowed and his hands formed into fists at his side. His nose scrunched up and his eyed Connor like he was responsible - and he kind of was - but he wasn’t sure, but he liked to blame the android anyway. ‘’Fuck.’’ He muttered lowly as he shook his head and folded his arms across his chest. ‘’Why the fuck does it matter? Let me do my damn job - I helped solve the last case. I’m not going to sit around and wait and do jack shit.’’ Connor admired the determination that Gavin had - the will to do his duty. It showed that he had dedication to his job and he wasn’t someone who could be bribed, even if his attitude gave that impression. He was loyal, he was smart, and he was stubborn, and handsom-..

No, Connor. NO. Do not think like that. This is not where you start thinking about him as a sexual object. You can absolutely not do that. Gavin Reed is straight - he hates you - and he’s an assole. Keep repeating that, and you will slowly feel disgust for him. Connor tried as he eyed Gavin, opposing the Captain and cursing. And he couldn’t dislike him. Not anymore.

When the android finally found himself in reality again, he started listening to what was said. ‘’This is bullshit! It’s a minor head injury, so what? I’m not made of glass or plastic like this fuck!’’ Gavin yelled in anger as he pointed a finger towards Connor to make his point. Connor just watched the argue and decided that intervening wouldn’t be a good plan. Having to intervene would mean that Gavin didn’t listen to his superior, and that Fowler had no authority - and that couldn’t be doubted. So he simply stood there, eyes darting between the two as Fowler finally had enough of Gavin’s trantrum. ‘’Reed, shut the FUCK UP, and get out of my office. You’re going home, whether you like it or not. I don’t care for your stupid ass reasons, go home, and REST as you were damn told to.’’ A moment of silence passed as Gavin was fuming and his hateful gaze rested on the Captain, and eventually on Connor as he approach the android and shoved past him again. Connor looked after Gavin as he left the office and wandered towards the exit of the building with an angry stride. Hank peered at Connor with a shrug and resumed work, probably used to Gavin’s childish behaviour.

‘’Connor.’’ Fowler said as he leaned onto his desk. ‘’I want you to check up on Reed tomorrow. See if he’s actually resting - if he has a problem with it, say I ordered you to. I’ll get you his information.’’ The android nodded as his LED was a blue color now - fortunately, nobody saw it was yellow before when Gavin caught him looking at him.

As he left the captain’s office and walked towards his desk with Hank across from it, he sat down in one fluid motion and simply stared at the screen of his monitor. He would have to visit Gavin Reed tomorrow at his house, and that would likely be the biggest insult. The worst thing to do with someone that hates everything about you. He was not looking forward to this, and he didn’t want this thirium pump to beat this fast as it was uncomfortable. Connor told himself he should resume with his work and think about tomorrow when the day arrived, and that day would be rather eventful.

 

~~

 

The next day, Connor was restless and he couldn’t think about anything else than meeting Gavin at his house. Gavin’s house. The house where his crush lived. Perhaps he did come across like a salivating schoolgirl, but he couldn’t help it. Nobody taught him to control his emotions, or how to exactly deal with asking someone out - leave alone someone who dislikes him this much to the point he wanted Connor dead for being an android.

He really hoped that there was more to Gavin. That something had happened to the man that made him keep people at a distance for safety reasons, because he didn’t only throw insults at Connor, he did it with regular humans aswell in the department. But Connor was doubting if he wanted to know at this point. He didn’t want to unravel some dark past that Gavin tried to hide, or find out he was the victim of something himself and that’s why he chose this job to do some good. Connor had to treat Gavin as a person - not a case.

He finally got into the bus that morning and he stepped out at a bus stop nearby Gavin’s house which was about twenty minutes away from the DCPD. The house was big - similar like Hank’s with their pay wage, but it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. It was just a house.

Connor closed his eyes for a moment before he walked towards the door of the house and rang the bell once, trying to keep his thirium pump from bursting aswell as keeping his LED from going red, because that’d be bad. So when the door finally opened, and he saw Gavin Reed at the doorway, he could hardly keep himself from falling over. The man stood there with little on. He wore a towel around his waist, and his body was glistening with drops of water that indicated he had just showered. His hair was a wet mess aswell and his eyes glanced over the android. The human’s brows finally lifted and he kept a hand on the door while the other rested at his side, idly. Connor, however, was trying to speak, but he couldn’t get the right words out of his mouth. So when he spoke, he said a word he shouldn’t have.

‘’Shit.’’ Connor stated, and Gavin looked him over as if trying to see this was the same Connor he hated, because the Connor he knew didn’t curse. ‘’Well, that’s a fuckin’ nice way to greet me. Why the fuck are you here, huh?’’ Gavin questioned with a demanding tone.

 

Why was Connor here again?


	14. Holy Jewels!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Updated 26-11-2018]
> 
> I apologize again for disappearing!
> 
> I know, I know, apologies are getting old, but I lost motivation and I was drowning in my depression ( I know you people don't give a fuck about that either), so I'll continue with saying that I'm trying to continue this story for you all, and I'll do my best.
> 
> I have some tips if you're going to try and write your own!
> 
> \- Connor rubs his chin when analyzing something.  
> \- Connor analyzes the room from left to right.  
> \- Connor does the coin trick when waiting. It also means he’s calibrating and testing his functions.  
> \- Connor keeps his shoulders straight and sits straight.  
> \- Connor's eyes blink when sending a report.  
> \- Connor's LED turns yellow when reporting.  
> \- Connor's arm shakes and eye twitches when connecting.  
> \- Connor rubs his hands together as he thinks and walks.  
> \- Connor refers to deviants as she/he.  
> \- Androids have no fingerprints.  
> \- Androids can survive 30 seconds atleast without their regulator.  
> \- Androids shot through the head cannot be recovered as their memory has been damaged and destroyed - they die. Memories can be transferred, but only partially.  
> \- Adapting to human unpredictability is one of Connor’s features.  
> \- Android sexuality is entirely up to the android itself.
> 
> \- Connor is 182 CM. Age: Indeterminate.  
> \- Gavin is 175 CM. Age: 36.
> 
> I know this chapter seems short, but it'll be this for now, and I might add more to it later!

Nothing that was happening made any sense. Infact, if Connor could make a wish, he would very much wish that he could fall for someone that wasn’t the most despised man on the world. Well, perhaps not the world, but definitely in the DCPD where most people turned the other way once they saw a glimpse of Detective Reed, like it was impending doom for them. Connor couldn’t exactly blame them, their urge to avoid the man was well-placed. Though, he wondered why the man was so aggressive and so offensive towards everyone. His curiosity was a flaw that he couldn’t oppose - he always was on a quest for more knowledge, and gathering more information on his colleague would make future interactions possibly more pleasant.

_Maybe._

The fact he had told Hank even made him question himself if he was serious about this. Was James really trying to manipulate him, letting Connor think that he sees his urge to help everyone as something as foolish as ‘love’? The android often doubted himself, and being a deviant didn’t help those doubts that gathered in his mind like a stormy cloud, waiting to release a thunderstorm that kept prodding at him every minute of the day. But he knew he was sure about one thing in particular, and that was the fact he was drawn to Gavin Reed. He wasn’t sure _why_ , or _how_ , but there was something in the man that made their paths cross on many occasions, and their recent cooperation seemed less strenuous than before. In one way or another, Gavin was himself, but he wasn’t as hostile towards the android. It brought suspicion to the mind of the android - like there was another reason for the human to treat him a little differently after the uprising. He even drank the coffee without hesitation.

For logical reasons, and professional reasons, he was thinking about Captain Fowler. The man had vouched for him many, many times and he was grateful for his equal treatment - he wasn’t an android to him. He was seen as someone who was capable of solving cases like anyone else, and he was treated the same like everyone else who didn’t get on his bad side.

Did he had a role in this? It was possible, but Connor could solve all of this himself. And if he had to guess about who was the next person to talk to Gavin about treating Connor better, he would immediately guess it’s Hank Anderson. Afterall, he was a father-figure, and fathers don’t want their children to be bullied by the likes of Gavin Reed.

 

~~

 

_[ERROR. ERROR. ERROR..]_

 

_[Stabilizing system…testing cognitive functions….]_

 

_[Test complete...system restored..]_

 

Connor simply stared at Gavin as the test came to a conclusion and he finally managed to regain himself, somewhat. Composing himself proved to be difficult when you were standing infront of the house of the man you apparently were infatuated with, and what proved even more difficult was the fact that the man he was smitten with was wearing little to cover himself up with. Just even the slightest of winds, or the roughest of pulls, and that towel would reveal Gavin’s crown jewels, and Connor wasn’t sure if he wanted to spectate if that occasion would arise. Afterall, they weren’t together, and that would make everything even more uncomfortable if he beared witness to something like that.

Gavin didn’t seem too pleased with the situation. He remained stood at the doorway as his stormy grey eyes drilled into the brown, chocolate ones of Connor, who did little in return. It almost looked like the android had shut down, or if something was wrong with him. The human’s brows knitted and he gazed around for a moment before his attention landed back on the android as he finally had enough of the pointless staring in silence. The android detective had to speak, or the man would probably slam the door in his face, and that wasn’t exactly something he wanted to risk, so the man finally managed to articulate something.

‘’Detective Reed…- I was sent by Captain Fowler to make sure you were recovering.’’ Gavin’s reaction was most predictable, and Connor was designed to adapt to human unpredictability. The seasoned detective soon enough scowled in apparent annoyance that irked him as if a child was yelling and he was growing deaf. After what felt like an eternity, the man finally stepped away from the door and left it open as if signing it was an invitation for the android to step foot inside his house.

Connor didn’t want to assume, but in this case, he wasn’t going to question the man about it. Surely he would close the door if the android wasn’t welcomed - and if he had done such, Connor would likely have report it to Fowler. So, coming to a logical conclusion, it was a professional choice. When the android stepped inside the man’s house, he entered a hallway that was led to the living room and kitchen, which was an open kitchen without any walls obstructing or separating the two. The android didn’t feel very comfortable, but he couldn’t possibly let Gavin Reed notice that - the man would likely even bully him on his own property.

Connor’s hands adjusted the tie around his neck and he neatened down his jacket before he proceeded after the man, who now was stood in the kitchen, pouring coffee into a mug as his bemused face landed on Connor who stood a few feet ahead of him. ‘’You can tell the Captain that I don’t need to be babysitted. I’m taking the damn medicine aswell.’’ He slowly walked towards the android - his body glistening with the beads of water trailing down every crevice and muscle that was exposed on his body.

The man was well build - he was muscular, fair skinned and had an array of scars spread across his limbs, which was expected from someone like him. Some were more distinctive than others, bigger and longer, while others were smaller and almost hidden from sight. Strangely enough, Connor felt like it was a display of art that presented itself - he couldn’t imagine Gavin without any visible damage to his body as his insolent demeanour could elicit such from individuals who were more prone to return it in an aggressive manner. ‘’I’m merely following orders, but I can understand that it brings you discomfort, especially when my visit was unannounced.’’ Gavin’s eyes lingered to the side for a moment as he didn’t take the mug of coffee from the kitchen counter, and instead, he left it there as if he had changed his mind. ‘’Yeah, you got that fuckin’ right, barging in here like you’re royalty.’’ The man scoffed in annoyance that made him fold his arms, almost defensively, and he shook his head soon after as if enforcing his apparent agitation. ‘’That insult is getting old, detective Reed. Perhaps you should invest in a new one.’’ Connor responded with amusement, the sarcasm seeping from his words as if he was trying to lighten the mood. Despite the fact it was an awkward situation for Connor, he didn’t want to expose himself - and especially not make his feelings known to the man.

Gavin set his left hand on the top of the couch, which was facing the TV that was on. The news channel was on, and Connor could make out that the news wasn’t very interesting, to say the least, but he was probably biased because of the fact that Gavin was the most interesting thing in his life as of now. He wanted to make sure the man could be himself, and he also felt guilt for the times that he had failed to protect him, and it was eating him up inside. ‘’Oh, yeah? Old you say? I don’t need a plastic _fuck_ like you to tell me how I can insult someone.’’ Gavin’s stare once again pierced Connor’s, and Connor was now feeling that his thirium pump wasn’t very cooperative. It was thumping inside his chest and he was trying to calm it, but the fact that he was alone with the man didn’t make it easier. Perhaps he should make up an excuse and leave - afterall, Gavin said he was recovering, right? He didn’t have to linger longer than he had to, and he had fulfilled Fowler’s request. The nerves were setting in again, and Connor now was looking for the door, which was behind him.

Just a few steps and he’d be free. Just a few.

As he averted his gaze to the side, towards the hallway, he felt that Gavin was approaching again, sliding his hand over the couch, almost seductively. But it wasn’t meant to be seductive - the man was suffering from a concussion and he had regular issues with his balance, so it’d make sense that he was using the couch to stabilize himself. ‘’Perhaps once you’ve recovered, you’ll be able to think of something more creative.’’ The android refrained from smiling as it looked ridiculous and he remembered that even Hank laughed at him for it, so he wasn’t going to give it another go. Perhaps he could practice smiling infront of his mirror, to make it look passable somehow, and not as if he had a stick up his ass. ‘’I should be going now. I’ll inform the Captain of your recovery.’’ The android was about to turn around before he registered that Gavin wasn’t quite finished - he needed to make a remark, or he would be pissed for the rest of the day, so he allowed Gavin to have the last word. ‘’Hey, I’m not done with you yet, asshole.’’ Ofcourse he wasn’t. Was he ever? Connor found it an amusing thought - their banter would never grow old, and he was always looking forward to it, but at times, it felt painful, like the insults actually had impact on him. And considering his feelings, they sometimes did hurt him.

One step. Another step. And another step. It wasn’t until he looked back to Gavin that he saw that the man was losing his balance and he was about to tumble over. Connor didn’t want to be responsible for a delay in his recovery, and he certainly didn’t want Gavin to get hurt if he could avoid it. As Connor rushed forth to the man to stabilize him, Gavin’s weight soon pressed onto him, which made the android lose his balance aswell. It was only a moment after that he realized that he had fallen onto his back with Reed on top of him.

Gavin Reed, half-naked, was lying on top of him. Gavin fucking Reed.

He felt like he was going to overload, and his thirium pump was working overtime in the confinement of his chest. He pushed up on his elbows as his eyes desperately tried to find Gavin’s to make sure he was alright - that was his priority right now. Gavin, however, was groaning lowly and complaining like he always did, which was a good sign. The shorter male lifted his head and soon was made aware of the position they both were in. As Gavin’s eyes settled onto Connor’s, the android soon looked aside, blinking several times. ‘’Goddamned android. Do you have to fuckin’ help everytime, huh?’’ He whined as he slowly pushed himself up and Connor remained silent throughout, only watching the man from the corner of his eye to ascertain he wasn’t going to fall again. Though, as he did, he spotted another rising problem - and that problem was certainly big enough to make him run for the door.

Gavin’s towel wasn’t in the place it was before. During the collision, the movement likely caused it to loosen around the man’s waist, which resulted in releasing the man’s hips and falling onto the floor.

To be blunt: Gavin Reed was _NAKED._

Connor was shamelessly staring at the crown jewels, and he didn’t know why, but he was. And Gavin, whose reflexes and reactions were considerably slow due to his injury, eyed Connor in return with apparent confusion before he followed his gaze down south. Before he could speak, the android picked up the towel and moved it around the man’s waist, securing it in place once again. The human detective posed no objection, not verbally or physically - both were probably wishing this hadn’t happened, and Connor was most definitely blaming Gavin for not having put on pants in the considerable amount of time he had for doing it. The fact he had gotten so close to Gavin - who was naked - and put the towel on him made his mind go blank for a moment. Like it was on impulse to cover him up instead of staring, or he simply did it out of decency. He opted for the latter as he was pushed by Gavin with a forceful shove of his hands and the man was positively glaring at the android. ‘’I don’t need your fuckin’ help, motherfucker.’’

As Connor now turned towards the exit, his LED was flickering a dangerous red. He didn’t wait for anything else as he headed for the door and shut it behind him as he walked towards the bus stop and pressed a hand to his chest - his thirium pump was beating the hardest it ever had beated, and he was thankful that he managed to keep his LED from going red untill Gavin’s eyes were no longer able to see it. He hoped it would be a week or even longer before he would see the man again. He couldn’t handle all these emotions. He would get through this, one way or another. And with his task finished, he returned to the DCPD to report to the captain and inform his superior about Reed's current status.

~~

After he finally arrived at the DCPD about thirty minutes after his unfortunate situation with his colleague, he had managed to relax himself considerably so. His thirium pump was not beating as fast as it was before, and Connor was thankful that he managed to keep it from exploding inside the cavitity of his chest. He began to wonder about how his future interactions would go with Gavin Reed as the man probably despised him even more at this point. Connor could certainly tell that Gavin didn't appreciate being helped, nor did he seem to like that he was vulnerable, or perhaps he just wasn't used to such a treatment from someone. Could it be that the man doesn't have any close friends or family at all? That he only ever keeps to himself? Connor hoped he was wrong. And if it was the truth, he was adamant on being  _something_ to him. A colleague - a partner - a friend - or the damn android that he despises.

Looking at the clock, he could tell it was around 11 AM in the morning, which meant he had been at Gavin's place for about twenty minutes, if not less. Hank wasn't present yet, which was expected as the man always seems to arrive late at work, but Connor had hoped that he'd commit more to the job and arrive earlier so they could converse more, or just generally get more done. Most people were once again wandering around, or working on their computer, if not drinking coffee in the break room which was quite small for such a big department. But Connor never bothered with spaces - he didn't really care for humans needs either. Well, most needs. He figured he'd report to the captain now he had the chance as he walked towards the man's office and established eye-contact with his peer who nodded in confirmation, which made Connor walk inside, closing the door behind him as he always does. As his eyes gazed around the office, he eventually settled them on the seated man who inspected him for a moment before addressing him. ''Good to see you, Connor. Did you go see Reed as I asked you to?'' The android felt like his 'heart' would squeeze together painfully at the mention of the name, and he concluded that it was because of his love for for the man that is Gavin Reed. But he was able to respond, despite his thoughts surfacing. ''I just returned from visiting him. He told me he is taking the medication and he is recovering. Hopefully he'll return the next week for active duty if all goes well.''

Captain Fowler leaned back in his comfortable chair and nodded a few times, tapping the pen against his lips which he held in his right hand. Perhaps he was writing something down before. ''Great. Princess will be a bigger pain in the ass if he returns, but despite the fact he's an asshole to everyone, he's useful in the department. He's solved cases most of us couldn't, aside of Anderson, ofcourse. He's capable, even if his mouth gets the better of him at times. An attitude change would help him tremendously, but hey, could be worse.'' Fowler shook his head a moment after as he placed the pen down on his desk and set his eyes on the android who silently listened. Connor seemed a little taken back by the man's words, since he always seemed to express a clear dislike for Reed, which is warranted, but he never thought he'd actually value Gavin Reed this much. Despite how much of an unpleasant individual he can be, the man was smart in his own way, and he was loyal, which was rare these days. Not to mention he got his heart in the right place and he is very dedicated to the DCPD. ''Anyway, when Hank gets his white ass in here, I got a case for you two to work on this week. We got an upcoming problem with a small group of people who want androids gone. I want you two to keep an eye on them if they become violent in their protests. I'll hand you more information when your partner gets here. You can go now.'' 

Connor processed the intel for a moment before he simply nodded. ''Thank you, Captain. I'll resume work.'' He turned towards the door and opened it as Fowler watched him with a doubtful expression. Perhaps his superior noticed that something was going on with Connor the past weeks, and now it probably became more apparent.


	15. More Android Hatred?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm trying. I got ideas, just the effort to write it is difficult for me. :__:
> 
> Also FUCK people who like RK900.
> 
> FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK YOU.
> 
> He's shit. He gets Connor destroyed and he also equals the BAD ENDING. So fuck off.
> 
> And who says Connor isn't badass but RK900 is? You are mistaken. SO MISTAKEN. Connor is a sarcastic sassy boss.

Connor was an android that had struggled the longest against deviancy. And he knew why he did. He didn’t want to be different - he wanted to be the android that was well behaved and in favour of the general public in Detroit. If anything, he didn’t want to appear as someone who had lost their sanity and opposed their programming, if that was even possible. He had always assumed most of the ‘deviants’ were emulating human behaviour, copying their feelings and their physical gestures that accompanied them. It was a difficult road, and he always felt like justice would be a righteous tool when one was arrested. But Connor did feel, and _that_ was the problem. He could feel - androids were made by humans, thus prone to have emotions, and it was impossible for them to not crave for something more. Somehow, such advanced technology, would always adapt and adjust.

The androids he had met were all fighting for a good cause - most of them. For example, Markus was someone that had perfect leadership qualities. He had endured alot and he knew what it was like to be hated for what he was, and for who he was, but he never asked for any of it. Markus was someone that didn’t initially appear to be very caring, but looks can deceive - he was the sort that would cross bridges to help those in need, and he would stand up for equal rights. He had witnessed the worst of mankind, but also the best, and the man he was assigned to help - Carl - was the person that inspired him and motivated him to go through everything that came his way. Every single obstacle was overcome, and he would be victorious. Carl deserved to be remembered, and Markus would make sure that his ‘dad’ would not be disappointed in him. Not even in death.

Perhaps it’s why Connor was convinced that day in Jericho to let Markus live. He wanted to be himself, and during his entire existence, the harsh truth was that he was only fighting what he was supposed to be. He didn’t want to fight his own kind, he didn’t want to fight humans either, he just wanted to be able to be himself in the end. Is that a sin?

 

~~

 

After his considerably interesting conversation with his superior, Connor wondered about several things as he walked down from the stairs and towards his desk. Would this be the last time he was partnered up with Gavin Reed? Who was this new group of people who apparently hated his kind? And was Gavin Reed going to be alright? He wasn’t sure how everything would go from now on after his last interaction with the detective, but he hoped they would atleast be able to return to their old ways, possibly with less animosity than before. But he doubted that the old life they had would be something that would remain in the past. Perhaps this partnership had made their relationship worse than it already was.

When finally arriving at his desk, he sat down in one fluid motion as he sunk into the chair and looked around the area with observant eyes. Evidently, if was difficult to see if an android was tired or happy - they would emulate tears and smiles to confirm such emotions, but otherwise, they don’t seem to age. And while Connor felt tired in a way, it wasn’t displayed on the outside - why would he make the effort? Another rising concern were the protesters that the captain had told him about. It had been on the news for a few weeks now, and they were making all kinds of demands and threats, which caught the police’s attention.

It would be perhaps another hour before Hank would arrive, if not longer. He was thrilled to do cases with Hank again - they always worked together well as partners, even if Connor was more impulsive than the older man. He was relieved that Hank had notched down on his drinking, and that he had come to terms with the death of his son. The man deserved to be happy again, and Connor owed the man quite alot. Without Hank, he wasn’t sure where he’d be right now.

The department was calm, even though phones rang here and there. It didn’t seem to be anything urgent as Connor now averted his eyes to Gavin’s Reed desk. It being empty was obvious, but he still felt like he wished the man was here. He wished he had recovered already, but humans need time, unlike androids who would get their damaged parts replaced or repaired. He supposed he admired that in humans - their courage, strength and determination. Being able to withstand so much, whether it’s physically or mentally, and being able to recover from it, it was something he aspired to do aswell. And if he had to get over Gavin Reed, how impossible it may seem, he would try. He decided that for now he would be friendly towards the man, and see how that works out.

A few hours had passed and Hank finally arrived at the station in his old coat and a striped shirt that was evidently not the worst choice, considering his wardrobe. Connor couldn’t get the choice of clothing out of his head from that day, but he wouldn’t want to change Hank, not even if he could. It was an amusing man, but also a fatherly type. As Hank sat down at his own desk, he peered at Connor with a tired expression, probably having stayed up for too long and had drank a little too much. Connor eyed the man in return in a moment of silence before he tried to break said silence. ‘’Good to see you this early, Lieutenant. The Captain has a new case for us.’’ The grey haired man eyed Connor in what appeared to be annoyance for a moment, likely not used to being here this early. He always slept the entire day, and he’d only arrive at the department once he actually bothered to arrive. Connor blamed the man’s age, or the fact he has to put up with a certain annoying colleague.

And he wasn’t seeing himself as an annoying colleague.

‘’Alright. Let me hear it.’’ Hank stated as he leaned back in his chair, tilting his head as he watched the android across from him who sat upright with his hands on the desk. Atleast he looked more humanoid like this - it was some improvement from how he used to sit. ‘’I wanted to inform you about Detective Reed. I visited him this morning and he seems to be recovering rather well.’’ Hank gave him an eyeroll - like he cared for Reed’s health. Connor observed Hank’s expression rather closely, concluding that he should move on to the case, which he finally did. ‘’The Captain has told me that a certain group of individuals have made their hatred for androids known. They have been on TV lately, pressing demands and wanting to take away our equal rights.’’ Hank shook his head, grumbling lowly to himself. ‘’Not this again.’’ Connor certainly agreed with Hank on that part - he didn’t want to endure another rebellion again where people would have to die because they couldn’t get along.

‘’I think we should see the Captain for more information.’’ Connor gestured towards the office of their superior which was not that far behind Hank. ‘’Great. Hopefully this’ll resolve itself.’’

As Hank pushed himself up from his chair with a low grunt, he straightened himself and took off his coat which he put around his chair before leading on towards the office. Connor followed Hank’s lead and stood up shortly after, pushing the chair back against the desk before tailing his partner. After a moment, they both stood infront of Fowler’s door which was opened soon after and they walked inside. Hank was the first to sit down in the vacant chair that was present - likely not bothered enough for formalities. Connor didn’t feel the need to sit, so he simply stood next to Hank and regarded the Captain with an inclination of his head. Fowler looked like he was about to implode as his brows furrowed and Hank scoffed lowly, waiting for something to happen. ‘’Right, now I got the two of you here, _finally.’’_ he said as he shot Hank a knowing glance. ‘’We can get to the debrief. As you both might know, there’s been alot of shit on the TV lately, especially this particular group of people who’ve been threatening the department because we allow androids to work with us. They’ve been saying alot of things, now I don’t take most of that seriously, but we have to follow a protocol here. I want you two to investigate any leads you can get. See if they’re barking, or if they’ll actually bite. If they’re going to bite, we need to take action.’’

Connor looked down to the ground for a moment as he listened to the captain. He sometimes wondered if those people were right, and that androids like himself were horrible killing machines that would one day eradicate all life on earth. Doubt was an emotion, and he was afraid that one day there might be no ‘backdoor exit’ like Kamksi had given him. He feared himself some days - that his emotions might consume him and he’ll kill someone who doesn’t deserve it. He’ll have to live with that regret, if he’s not shut off for it. What if..

‘’Connor.’’

‘’Connor?’’ Hank questioned as the android’s LED was flickering yellow now, still watching the ground. It hadn’t occurred to him that he lost track of the conversation. As his eyes locked onto Hank’s, it took Connor a moment to regain himself, allowing focus to return as he finally looked towards the Captain who watched him with masked concern. ‘’I need you sharp on this, Connor.’’ The android’s LED soon turned a smooth blue color again, having composed himself. ‘’My sincere apologies, captain. It won’t happen again.’’ Hank and Fowler shared a glance before the captain shook his head and sighed out. ‘’Everything will be sent to you on your computer if you need to look back at the intel we’ve got. You two are dismissed. Oh, and Connor?’’ The android was looking towards the door before his eyes settled onto Fowler’s again in the span of a second. ‘’Yes, Captain?’’ Hank was already out the door, not even waiting for Connor as he already sat down at his desk, probably fed up with the entire bullshit of androids vs humans. Fowler gestured Connor closer with a hand, and he approached the desk, leaning down, somewhat. ‘’We’ll try to be resolve this peacefully. I know what you’ve gone through, and we’re not having a repeat of it.’’

‘’Thank you, Captain. I will do my best to contribute to this case.’’ Fowler vaguely smiled. ‘’I don’t doubt it. You’re like our personal fucking Terminator. Seen that movie?’’ Connor tilted his head, confusion wandering over his features. It took him a moment to look up that movie before he awkwardly smiled. ‘’I understand now. I will get to work.’’

 

~~

The next day, Connor and Hank arrived together at the department and Connor took the liberty of getting his friend a coffee - black as he prefers it. As he waited for the coffee to fill the man’s mug (yes, he brought it with him) he saw Gavin’s partner, Chris, walking towards him with a friendly smiled plastered across his lips. ‘’Hey there, Connor. Can you make me a cup too?’’ Connor didn’t see the problem - the man had always been friendly towards him, and he could determine that it wasn’t mockery either, which would be obvious, as Gavin was the king of it. After the mug was filled, Connor proceeded to grab two plastic cups, keeping one within the other so Chris wouldn’t burn his hands on the thin material that let the heat through. ‘’Black’s fine, thanks.’’ Chris added, and Connor pressed the button on the machine. Once again it filled and the aroma of cheap coffee filled the break room. Connor handed Chris the cup and offered a vague smile in return, and Chris dipped his head, taking the coffee. ‘’So - you’ve been busy. I heard you’re already assigned a new case?’’

Connor took the mug from the counter and glanced towards Chris. He was sure he wasn’t ‘authorized’ to share such information with Chris Miller, but he also was sure that he wasn’t just an android anymore, and he had human rights. He also thought the information wasn’t that sensitive and that it wouldn’t matter if he told Chris. If anything, it probably would be a wise decision to inform all police personnel of the current situation so they could prepare themselves if the protesters actually formed outside the department. ‘’We are waiting on a lead at the moment. The protesters on TV have been very present lately.’’ Chris awkwardly nodded. ‘’Yeah, I kind of saw that. Hoped things would be better for androids, but they just won’t let it rest.’’ Connor felt sad - could he feel sad? Certainly he could feel sad. ‘’Perhaps we are worrying over nothing. I don’t think it will result in violence.’’ Chris blew the steam from his cup and rested a hand on his belt. ‘’We’ll see. Have you heard anything about Reed? Any recovery?’’ Connor started to feel vulnerable everytime that name crossed his mind. ‘’He is recovering from his injuries as we speak. Perhaps in a week he’ll be here again.’’

Chris Miller dipped his head. ‘’Good talk. I’ll see you around. Don’t be a stranger.’’ He walked off into the hallway, disappearing from sight. Connor contemplated as he stood still on the spot in the break room, remembering all his interactions with Gavin Reed. He didn’t want to think of him, but the memories he had made it troublesome. Everything in the department reminded him of the man. Everything. As he finally returned to reality, he resumed his path to Hank and offered him his favourite mug of coffee. Hank nodded quietly as he typed away on his computer and Connor sat down in his chair with a rather blank expression. Hank being the best damn father-figure on the world couldn’t help to notice this, ofcourse. ‘’What’s got you down?’’ He inquired, glancing from the monitor to the android-detective across from him. Before Connor managed to speak, Hank caught up with him. ‘’Wait, wait. I know what this is about. Reed, isn’t it? And you think we’ll have another android rebellion.’’ Connor eyed Hank for a moment, in partial surprise, but also in expectance. ‘’I know you long enough by now, kid. Maybe not as smart, but I know what’s going on in that head of yours.’’

Was it that obvious?

‘’I think --’’ Connor spoke before the phone rang on their desk. Connor being the closest to it, looked towards Hank for permission, which was granted by a simple gesture of his head. As he lifted the phone to his ear, he listened to the person that was on the line. ‘’H-hello? Is this the Police?’’ Connor glanced at Hank before he focused his attention on the woman on the phone. ‘’This is the Detroit City Police Department. You are speaking with Connor. How may I be able to help you, miss?’’ Hank grabbed his mug and took a sip from it, scowling at the taste, but he had gotten used to it. ‘’My name’s Kerry Lane. I - I live nearby, but I have information about the people from TV..- one of them is my sister. Their leader..- I think she’s planning something terrible..- I don’t know what to do.’’ Connor pondered for a minute. ‘’Alright, miss Lane. I want to thank you for calling us so quickly. Is it possible for us to meet you this week?’’ The woman on the phone seemed frantic, almost as if she was hiding. ‘’At the end of t-the week..- I think I can..- yes. My home..- I will give you the address. I will try to- to learn more until w-we meet..- hopefully it will prove enough..- so you can take action..’’ Connor wasn’t expecting a lead this early - and when that happened, he was very suspicious. ‘’Thank you, miss Lane. We will see you then. If you don’t feel safe, we can station a police officer outside your property.’’

Connor waited for a response, but she hung up already.

Hank eyed him expectantly. ‘’Well, who the fuck was that?’’ Connor put the phone down, feeling reluctant to inform Hank. ‘’A possible trap.’’


	16. What the PHUCK?!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I made this a little longer to make up for the delay and my laziness. Very sorry.
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zWwowZxJb0
> 
> Give Gavin's Birthday video some love!

One case was closed, and another was opened. Unfortunately, both of these cases were related to androids. Either androids hating humans, or humans hating androids. It almost felt like the war didn’t make any difference at all as people perpetually declared their dislike for one another on live tv that broadcasted the message to most of the country. Why couldn’t they co-exist more peacefully? Was it so difficult to accept that an artificial intelligence could feel emotions and yearned for acceptance and love? Was it so unfair to allow them such?

It wasn’t.

In truth, androids and humans were very much alike, afterall, one created the other.

Ofcourse, one being skeptical was justified as not all androids were good beings, nor were all humans. But most of the androids that had committed crimes were compelled to do them due to abusive owners who made their life extremely unpleasant. Connor could remember his first case with Daniel - he was going to get replaced, and _nobody_ in this world wants to hear they’re going to get replaced. Either because they’re not good enough, or in this case, a better, improved model was on the market. Only to imagine the feeling of having someone else take your place when you always thought yourself to be irreplaceable and invaluable.

It felt like betrayal. And betrayal hurt.

Another case was that of Carlos Ortiz. The poor android had to endure being beaten up regularly and he couldn’t oppose the human that had bought him. He was not programmed to oppose physical attacks, even if they didn’t harm him, but he definitely was able to break free and become a deviant - one of the first times that Connor felt doubt in his mind, alongside when Daniel said he had lied to him.

The doubt was never shown to anyone.

He _couldn’t_ be a deviant.

  


~~

 

Shortly after the call had ended, Connor placed the phone down to its original place and looked at Hank with suspicion. Connor could already feel that this wasn’t going to be very promising and that people were going to get hurt. He just had to make sure that those weren’t the people he cared for - if anyone was going to get hurt, it would be himself.

That’s a sacrifice he would make, without hesitating for even a second. Human life, no matter how equal they were now, would always be more important to him than his own life. Somehow, he would always find the value of a human to be considerably bigger than his own, simply because he thought that they had endured more than he had. They deserved to live. The good ones did. Especially the likes who he knew personally - Hank, Fowler, Chris..- basically all police officers who risked their lives daily to fight crime in the city. Some even had a family - while others fought for the memories they had of their families.

‘’So you think we’re walking into an ambush this week, huh?’’ Hank questioned as he watched Connor think. Connor wanted to contradict that and claim otherwise, but the fact they were just given the case and such a tip was handed to them like some sort of present seemed too coincidental. It just didn’t add up, and while the android wasn’t particularly fond of paranoia or making accusations at people who he never met, he couldn’t say that he was wrong on this. He regarded Hank with some reservations about the call, but the best way to handle Hank was to be honest with him - honesty always was appreciated by him. ‘’The woman said her name is ‘Kerry Lane’, and she claimed to be the sister of the leader from the protesters. She warned me that the leader of the group might resort to more drastic measures to gain attention.’’ Hank briefly nodded, processing the information as he turned to the computer and began typing something. ‘’Let’s see if we got anything on her..’’ Hank muttered.

A few moments later, Hank leaned back in his chair and sighed deeply in defeat. ‘’Nothing. She’s entirely clean.’’ He declared with desperation, rubbing his forehead before running his hand through his grey mane and grunted lowly. ‘’Don’t worry, Lieutenant. Even if this is a trap, it will lead us closer to the group and what they will do. Perhaps we can ‘turn the tables’ and take advantage of the situation. She mentioned she would call back once she had more solid intel about her sister. If we’re in luck, we can meet with her at the end of the week.’’ Connor evidently tried to ignite some positivity in the both of them, more for his own sake than Hank’s as he currently still was consumed by paranoia. Not to mention that he was strenuously trying to dispose of a certain someone that kept invading his mind every time he looked around the department.

Gavin Reed was the person he wanted, but he couldn’t have him. He would _never_ have him.

He couldn’t make sense of it. His first ‘crush’ being someone that has only ever been derisive and hateful towards him. And saying that is an understatement. The man wanted him dead, and still does, granted if he was able to shoot him in the head without consequence. Connor could never expect Gavin to do anything else than resent him - it’s as if Connor was the only entertainment that kept Gavin going. He’d endure it if he had to - he’d atleast get attention from the man he considered special. The fact he would go through all of Gavin’s antics simply because he enjoyed the fact that the man prioritized him was almost disturbing, even for someone like Connor, but could he help it?

No, he really couldn’t. He could only imagine how tiresome the road ahead would be.

Hank nodded a few times, mostly himself, making a vague gesture with his right hand towards Connor, as if saying ‘do whatever the fuck you want’, and lifted the mug to his lips soon after, the coffee now having cooled down some as he took a sip and his expression turned into approval. He probably had gotten used to the awful taste of the department’s coffee.

Connor couldn’t do much now with the case, he would have to rely on the only source he had now, and that would take the entire week. A few more days, and they would know what they were up against. As he considered that, he also considered the fact that Gavin would likely return on that day and he wasn’t sure how to feel. Happy? Sad? Conflicted, for sure. Oh, how he missed Gavin. He surely made the department feel more lively in comparison to how it is when he’s absent: dull. Hank was good company, but he wasn’t Gavin. Gavin was a man that appeared confident but also too arrogant in the eyes of other. Some would claim that he would do anything to advance in the department, especially in rank, hence he was so rude and often reckless because of the goal he had in mind. He wouldn’t care if any of his colleagues were going to get in harm's way, aslong as he would profit from the situation. But is this an assumption or a fact? Was Gavin Reed really _that_ heartless?

Connor didn’t believe the man was. Despite how callous and rude he acted towards people and himself, the android thought that Gavin Reed had problems, like plenty of people had, but he used different methods to cope with them. For instance, he would insult others to feel better about himself - or he would use physical force to make himself feel bigger. Connor was a good example of that. Connor figured that this was how the man coped with everything, unlike Hank Anderson who drank alcohol perpetually and considered suicide. Nobody is born an asshole, and nobody suddenly turns into one, there’s always a trigger for it, and Connor wanted to find out what it was. Not that he wanted to change Reed, no, he thought his behaviour was appealing in a way, but it’s also how the man was. He wouldn’t be Gavin Reed if he suddenly became unbearably sweet and polite. It wouldn’t suit him. And Connor probably found the appeal in the way the man acted towards him - so demeaning, but so appealing in a way.

Was he a little crazy? Maybe. Crazy’s good, mostly, isn’t it?

A week would pass before they could resume the case. In the meanwhile, Connor aided other officers in cases and looked forward to friday. He would have to trust their source for now, and hope Gavin wouldn’t risk pissing off Fowler. He and Hank would solve this case.

 

~~

 

A few days later, Hank and Connor had arrived in the early morning at the department and they both continued with their usual routine. Connor would go to the break room to get Hank his mug of black coffee, which was awful as always, and Hank would complain about being this early at work which Connor would endure, because it was enjoyable in a way. The two of them were really family, especially after everything they had been through. He had changed, and Hank had aswell, and the android detective was certain that it was a massive improvement for them both. Compared to when they first met at Jimmy’s Bar, this was an outcome he would never have hoped for, or have thought of. Infact, being a deviant on its own was an outcome he never thought would’ve happened.

The android sat down in the chair across from Hank and he observed the area around him in thought. His hands came together at his lap and he looked significantly more human than before. It was a step in the right direction. As a deviant, he had more emotions, he was becoming more human and he was less...numb. Less pragmatic if duty didn’t call.

‘’Today’s the day, Connor.’’ Hank stated as he sipped his coffee and rubbed his eyes shortly after with his hand, seemingly still tired from waking up so early. Connor’s eyes averted to Hank as he slowly nodded and looked from side to side in sudden uncertainty. ‘’It won’t be long now, Lieutenant. I have a good feeling that she will call today.’’ Connor composed himself, trying to put aside the doubt he had and the dismay he felt when thinking about the group of protesters who had been on the news every single day of the week. They had been lying low and so did the police. Fowler didn’t want the protesters to start hiding incase they had planned to harm innocents to get what they wanted, and the protesters didn’t want to draw too much attention incase the police would actually be send to detain them, if they could be caught.

Hank scoffed a little, rolling his eyes once again. ‘’Yeah. I want this case solved as much as you do, Connor. If she doesn’t call today, we’ll have to take action and find out where they’re located by questioning people, and that might take a while. They’re a possible danger to the public.’’ Connor couldn’t agree more with Hank, waiting meant they would leave room for the group to expand their connections and possibly harm androids they had no idea about - perhaps it was just a big cover for them while they secretly captured androids and tortured them. He wouldn’t put it past them considering their expressed hatred. Maybe Gavin could join them..- he hated androids as much as they did.

What a stupid thought, Connor.

He adjusted the tie around his neck and neatened down his jacket once more before he accessed his terminal, causing his right hand to turn white. He wasn’t investigating any suspects for the case - instead, he landed on Gavin Reed’s file, which had basic information shown to him. Such as the date of when he was born: the seventh of October. It was some months ago and Connor leaned back shortly after as he looked at the image of Gavin Reed. Perhaps he should get the man something for his birthday, but he wasn’t sure what, and he doubted that Gavin would show an ounce of appreciation. The man didn’t seem too pleased about anything that involved Connor knowing something personal about him, but perhaps Connor wanted to change that, to make Gavin see that he as cared for. Hank peered at Connor as he had landed on Gavin’s file and he grumbled lowly to himself. ‘’He’ll be back before you know it.’’ He added with a bitter tone. Connor managed a vague smile in return. He knew Hank didn’t like Gavin, and Gavin didn’t like Hank, but Hank said it to cheer the android up, and that was a sentiment he appreciated.

After an hour or two, the brown haired man watched the clock and noted it 1 PM by now. The waiting was pressuring them both and Fowler wasn’t the most patient superior in the world. Connor hoped that he would get a few more hours before Fowler would tell them to take action instead of waiting on a lead that wasn’t going to actually lead anywhere. Perhaps the call was made to simply keep the police placated so the group could continue without issue.

‘’Lieutenant?’’ Connor finally questioned as Hank idly averted his eyes to Connor, waiting for the android to continue. ‘’The Detroit Gears are playing this weekend.’’ Hank arched a brow and tilted his head in anticipation, though he could see where Connor was going to go. ‘’I was wondering if you wanted to see the match.’’ Connor questioned, smiling vaguely. Hank scoffed once again, placing the mug down on the table. ‘’Can’t  say no to such an offer, can I?’’ He smiled in return before resuming his work.

Atleast that was arranged. He’d watch Hank’s favourite team play and he would get proper distraction too.

A moment later, the phone rang and Connor took the liberty to answer the call. He was in luck. The familiar voice of Kerry Lane was ringing in his ears and he shot Hank his ‘I told you so’ glance and smiled rather smugly before he answered. ‘’Kerry Lane? This is Connor. Have you been well?’’ The woman on the phone sounded a little more composed than she did in the first call. Connor could hear in her voice that she wasn’t panicked, which was reassuring if anything. ‘’Yes, hi..- sorry for cutting off the last call, but I had to go. I -..I can meet up with you now. Here’s my address…’’ Connor memorized the address that she passed him and looked towards Hank for a moment. ‘’Thank you. We will arrive shortly.’’ After that, he hung up the phone and he stood up from his chair and slid it back under his desk. Hank groaned lowly and stood up in return, following after Connor who walked to the front of the building and to the car lot. ‘’We might be walking into a trap, be careful.’’ Connor said to Hank as Hank got into the driver-seat and Connor sat down in the passenger seat.

‘’No shit.’’ The older man answered with sarcasm, putting the keys in the ignition before starting the car, following Connor’s directions to the address.

 

~~

 

After fifteen minutes of driving through the neighbourhoods in Detroit, they finally arrived at the location of the woman named Kerry Lane, the suspected sister of the leader of the protesters. Hank parked the car on the curb of the sidewalk and took the keys out of the ignition before stuffing them into his coat. He got out of the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Brougham and waited for Connor to get out of the car before locking it entirely. Connor moved around the car to the sidewalk and nodded to Hank. ‘’This is the address. Let’s hope we can trust her.’’ Hank led on as per usual and approached the door and knocked on the door a few times with his fist, waiting for the door to open. Luckily, the weather wasn’t too cold and there was no rain either, but from the looks of it, the sky was darkening, hinting that it wouldn’t be dry for much longer.

After about thirty seconds, the door opened and a woman appeared. She had long blonde hair that was brushed back behind her ears, brown eyes and a healthy complexion. She was of average build and height and wore rather casual clothing that had neutral tones to them. Connor inspected the woman the moment she was in sight, looking for anything out of the ordinary on her, but he couldn’t find anything. She glanced at the pair before gesturing with a hand that they can come inside and guided them from the hallway to the living room. ‘’Take a seat. Would you like some coffee, or tea, maybe?’’ Hank shook his head as he sat down on the couch and Connor analyzed the room from left to right in a thorough manner. ‘’You’re Lieutenant Anderson?’’ She questioned Hank, almost as if she was disappointed. Her eyes lingered on the man’s before they averted to Connor who simply kept standing. ‘’And you’re Connor?’’ It felt strange, and Connor couldn’t quite place it, but something was wrong.

Hank didn’t seem too bothered, making himself at home as he comfortably lied back on the couch, tapping a finger against it. ‘’Well, you had information for us, miss Lane?’’ Connor would let Hank do the questioning, he outranked him afterall, and Hank was capable enough on questioning the woman alone without Connor having to intervene. Kerry sat down on the couch across from Hank, with a table inbetween them which had a bowl on it and some small statues for decoration. ‘’Yes..- I’ve been in contact with my sister, and I’m afraid she’ll start abducting androids in order to get what she wants. She’s very...driven.’’ She said as she frowned, her hands coming together, pressing against eachother. ‘’Well, if that’s the case, we want to talk to her. Do you got an address for her? Maybe we can talk some sense into her before things get out of hand.’’ Hank nodded firmly. Connor watched the two interact for a while before he looked around a few seconds, inspecting what could be seen. ‘’Excuse me for a moment, I was making tea for myself. I can be very forgetful.’’ She smiled a little shyly as she got up and walked to the kitchen. Hank and Connor shared a look before Hank’s phone rang.

‘’Hang on, I gotta take this call. Fucking timing, it’s from the Department.’’ He groaned in annoyance as he walked to the front door and answered the call. Kerry seemed to be pretty busy with her tea as Hank returned after about a minute and looked even less pleased than he did before. ‘’It’s urgent. Can you take this, Connor? Round it up here and come to my location after, shouldn’t take ages.’’ The android was skeptical, but he didn’t want to become too paranoid and simply agreed. Hank approached Connor and gave him a firm squeeze in the shoulder before walking outside and disappearing with his old, trusty vehicle. Shortly after, Kerry returned with her cup of tea that was steaming hot and she eyed Connor with a soft smile. ‘’Where did the Lieutenant go?’’ She questioned, looking around for him in a puzzled manner. ‘’He had to leave for urgent business.’’ She sat down on the couch and pressed her lips together, allowing the warm cup of tea to cool down a little. ‘’I thought you were partners with Gavin Reed.’’ She said soon after and Connor’s suspicion grew even more. Only people in the department knew of it, and he and Gavin had one case together, and few saw them together in public. It was impossible for her to know.

‘’That’s correct. But it was a temporary solution because the Lieutenant was unwell.’’ The android’s LED flickered a cool, blue color despite the situation and he locked his arms behind his back, keeping himself straight. ‘’He is back now, fortunately.’’ He kept a rather blank expression in his conversation with her and she eyed his LED for a minute. ‘’Oh..- I see, yes. I know someone in the department who told me about you and Reed..- I know it sounds a little weird to suddenly hear it.’’ She awkwardly smiled, brushing some hair behind her ear again. If anyone was to say it, she was either flirting with Connor, or she was trying to lower suspicions. Maybe it was both. It was around five minutes later that someone knocked on the door and Kerry blinked before she set the tea down on the table and nodded to Connor before answering whoever was at the door. As she opened it, she saw a familiar face: Gavin Reed.

Gavin probably had stuck his nose into business that wasn’t his own. Either he asked Fowler where Connor had gone, or he was led here by someone else, and he wasn’t going to guess it was Hank. It would be most unlikely. ‘’Oh -..you’re detective Reed?’’ She said, her head tilting and her eyes moving over him, from top to toe. ‘’Yeah, obviously. Is the fucking android in here?’’ He whined already, even having difficulty with treating a civillian with respect as he pushed past her and wandered inside the house and into the living room where Connor stood, eyes widening a little at the sight. ‘’Detective Reed. How coincidental that you’re here.’’ He stated with sarcasm as Gavin’s brows knitted and he laughed at the android. ‘’Don’t be an idiot, I was sent here as back-up. What’s the fuckin’ problem?’’ He looked around, only seeing the stupid android and the woman who posed no danger at all from the looks of it. ‘’Detective Reed, would you like something to drink?’’ She walked towards him and his eyes lingered on hers with apparent interest. Connor watched the two with agitation inside of him. _Straight as can be._

The detective wasn’t one to reject something for free and he nodded. ‘’Coffee’s good.’’ His eyes followed Kerry move into the kitchen and disappear from sight before he turned his attention on Connor who hadn’t moved and he folded his arms across the span of his broad chest. Gavin was taunting Connor again by offering him a rather sardonic smirk that wasn’t going to leave his lips anytime soon. His eyes narrowed slightly, stormy grey and intense as can be, much like the weather outside that was similar to the detective’s eyes and attitude.

After waiting a few more minutes, Connor became concerned with the fact Kerry hadn’t returned yet and he moved towards the hallway leading into the kitchen, but Gavin grabbed him by the arm as he tried to walk past and stopped him in his tracks. Connor’s eyes averted to Gavin’s hand on his arm before moving to his eyes. ‘’I would appreciate if you could let go of me, Detective Reed.’’ Gavin tilted his head, mockingly, and scoffed lowly. ‘’Don’t go bothering the woman. Let the _real_ detective do the work here. Plastic prick.’’ He soon after released the man’s arm and Connor stared at Gavin before he gave in and moved to stand a few feet away from Gavin, avoiding his gaze. Connor instead moved his gaze to the window that gave a clear view of the street outside.

Gavin kept his arms folded and started to wander around in the living room, tapping his digits against the table and his eyes inspecting family photos and the decorations. It seemed like Connor wasn’t the only one who was getting impatient and suspicious. ‘’Fuckin’ taking so long for a cup of coffee.’’ He complained as he rubbed his nose a second after and sighed lowly in frustration. Connor was watching Gavin silently and he tried to be patient, but as he waited a few more minutes, he heard something outside. His hearing being considerably better proved to be an advantage as he looked to Gavin who was a few feet away from him. ‘’Detective, get down!’’ He warned as suddenly a barrage of bullets penetrated the windows, doors and walls from the outside as guns were firing relentlessly on the pair inside the house and Connor ran towards Gavin who was slow in response, probably because he wasn’t entirely recovered yet. As Connor ran, he got infront of Gavin’s path and an array of bullets drilled themselves into the android’s body - he could feel about twenty if not more from automated machine guns. The noise was overwhelming and Connor managed to absorb all bullets that were headed for Gavin. As the detective saw Connor be hit by the dozen of bullets, his eyes widened and he opened his mouth to curse, but Connor lunged at him, pushing the man down on the ground and using himself as a shield for Gavin.

Gavin’s ears were deafened by the overwhelming sound of bullets flying through the house and he couldn’t make out what was happening, but he did confirm this was a trap and they were getting gunned down by people who were located outside. He could feel that more bullets were digging into Connor who adamantly stayed ontop of Gavin, and Connor’s eyes lingered in Gavin’s who now locked back onto Connor’s. The android detective’s suspicions were validated and he could ascertain that Reed was also called here for a reason. And Hank was also called away for a reason. - Someone wanted Connor and Gavin dead, but not Hank. Connor’s priority was to keep Gavin safe, especially after he had failed to properly protect him before and he didn’t want to bring Gavin to the hospital again. The proximity between the two was very close, and Connor could appreciate the man’s features, even more from this close. He was _so handsome._ And he would give his life for Gavin’s.

It was some minutes after that the shooting had died down and sirenes were heard in the distance, hinting that police cars were racing to the location to assist and help. As Gavin heard that the assailants were gone and they were deemed to be ‘safe’, he slowly aimed to push Connor off of himself, though Connor didn’t exactly move much. ‘’Connor, get -’’ He glanced back to the android, only to see his eyes weren’t moving and he cleared his throat. Now he had a proper look at Connor, he had a dozen of holes in his body, thirium was bleeding from the android and his clothes were torn.

Connor's LED was flickering a dangerous red.

He needed to get Connor to CyberLife. Fast.


	17. No fuckin' way!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back, back again...~~

Life can be extremely confusing in many ways. As a child, you think you want to become a cop, or perhaps even a baker. Maybe even an astronaut? The creativity one can have when young is something we all adore in children, and we can’t stop enjoying those moments when they make up incredible fantasies that come from their mind. We all hope that the innocence and happiness of those days remain when we grow up. But nothing is ever simple when you become older, and when you grow, you are faced with challenges that will haunt you for the rest of your life. Some can let go of them, but some hold onto them, and they let those events change them forever. 

Why? Because it’s  _ easier _ . We’re all addicted to something that takes the pain away. And having the pain gone for just a moment suffices. Some people choose to convert the pain into strength - to hurt others because they were hurt. And perhaps they even do such because they do not want to ever endure that moment of their life again. They go to extreme measures to make others hate them, leaving an everlasting impression of them being an unpleasant person who will never find someone to care for them. Perhaps that is what they want. To be _ forgotten _ . To  _ rot _ away. To be that  _ asshole _ you can’t stand.

Gavin Reed was such a man. 

You either loved the man, or you hated him with all your heart. And the latter was the obvious choice for many. But for someone else, it wasn’t that simple. That someone else wasn’t a human, and that someone else was adamant on getting through to the man. 

One way or another. Even by dying.

 

~~

 

The loud sounds of the police cars were nearing closer and closer as the premise soon was surrounded by the vehicles and with many police officers. The area was secured and people were on their phones, taking pictures and curiously watching everything unfold. Ofcourse, a shooting in broad daylight didn’t go unnoticed by anyone. One specific car pulled up to the scene and a man stepped out of it: Hank Anderson who was quick to respond to the call due to the fact he had left someone behind that he cared for. The experienced lieutenant had concern drawn all over his features as he removed the keys from the ignition and stuffed them inside his lucky coat. He hoped he wouldn’t find what he was fearing - he hoped.

He left the other agents to secure the area, securing it with the vehicles and tape that prevented any civilian from passing through onto the scene. He usually wasn’t one for worrying, as he had nothing left to lose, but with Connor, he found new purpose in his life. He owed the android, and the android was family to him. It ate away at him, and his nerves slowly crept up on him, prodding at his head to make him think of the worst case scenario. Keeping composure was important, he couldn’t lose his cool right now, he had to see what had happened inside, and so he did. He glanced through the broken window at the front of the house before kicking open the door with ease - bullets had gone through it aswell, which made it vulnerable to his foot. 

As he walked into the living room where had been before, he saw a sight he didn’t want to see. He felt his heart sink deep into his stomach and it even stopped beating for a moment. Panic consumed him as he approached the two on the ground, finding Connor ontop of Gavin who was wide-eyed and staring at the android who was drenched in bullets. The urge to blame Gavin was there, but he couldn’t resort to something like that without knowing what had exactly happened, so he refrained from making such an accusation. Instead, he tried to gain their attention, but with Connor not moving, he veered his gaze to the other man before parting his lips to speak. ‘’..- What the  _ hell  _ happened here?’’ His eyes narrowed as he looked between the two, swallowing for a moment. 

Gavin had thirium on his clothes, which was still visible to the human eye as the shooting hadn’t occurred that long ago. The man looked a little pale from the recent ordeal, but he wasn’t falling apart, so it was a good sign that only one of them was hurt. Even if Hank wished the roles were reversed. He didn’t like Gavin and he never would, not even if he would be given a million dollars to be his friend. He’d rather eat shit, if he had to. ‘’Stop fucking around and help me get him off.’’ Gavin suddenly said as Hank was snapped out of his thoughts, returning to reality. The lieutenant took a hold of Connor’s shoulders, lifting him back and Gavin managed to slip out from underneath him before pushing upto his feet and neatening down his leather jacket. He afterwards grunted and rubbed his chin with a chin, eying the lifeless android with an apparent conflicted expression. ‘’We’ve to bring him to CyberLife. Fix him and up and all of that shit.’’

The android they were speaking of wasn’t functioning anymore. But that doesn’t mean he was ‘dead’. Hank could feel that the man’s thirium pump was beating, but it was faint and it was slipping away. A good guess would be that the bullets penetrated his body, which caused the blue blood to leak away from, which was something an android needed to be able to function optimally. But it seemed that by a lucky shot, the bullets didn’t hit biocomponents, like his thirum pump. But the sight was still scary, and Hank wasn’t an android expert, so he lifted one arm of Connor around his shoulder while he gave Gavin a vague leer. The detective looked a little off. He didn’t seem to be himself, though he was definitely trying to be the asshole everyone hated - even after a near death experience. ‘’Get his other arm and we’ll bring him to my car.’’ Hank ordered. He loved that he was Gavin’s superior, even if the latter often refused to acknowledge that.

After a few seconds of hesitation, the man approached the motionless android that was held up by Hank and supported him. He looked like he wanted to contradict him, or come up with some nasty remark, but nothing of the kind left his lips. All that did was a submissive sigh that followed with knotted brows. For once, they seemed to work together. One saw the android as family, while the other saw the android as something disposable. A fake imitation of a human being. Something that shouldn’t even exist. Yet it saved his life. And for someone like Gavin, realizing such things took a while for him - it hadn’t sunk in yet, and he surely didn’t want it to. The last thing he would ever want is to owe an android something. Especially the one he hated with all his heart, as black as it ought to be.

As they dragged the heavy android over the wooden floor of the house, through glass and bullets that were littered across, they finally reached the door, which was open already, and they moved down the steps and neared Hank’s car. He fished up his key from his coat and opened the door of the car with it, soon after, with Gavin’s help, putting Connor in the backseat with a sigh of relief. The android was heavier than he looked, and not many seem to realize that as the both of them had their endurance and strength tested in this little challenge of teamwork. It was ironic and amusing in a way. Gavin stared at Connor who didn’t respond to anything, merely watching him with an expression that was difficult to explain. Even Hank couldn’t tell what the man was feeling right now - Gavin had become an expert in hiding how he truly felt, and Hank was going on what Connor had told him before. That Gavin wasn’t just an asshole - that something had happened to him. Eitherway, Hank didn’t prioritize how the ‘princess’ felt, he prioritized Connor right now. 

After Gavin and Hank exchanged a silent stare, Hank started the car and turned around. He was allowed to pass by the other agents and drove off to CyberLife with a heavy heart.

 

~~

 

Gavin was left behind. It’s a feeling he knew rather well.

He was in charge now, and he had to order some other people to search the house for possibly leads on Kerry Lane who apparently lived there. But what Connor and Hank didn’t know is that he knew the woman from the past. She, however, didn’t remember him. Or perhaps she didn’t recognize him. The way he acted with her, it was an act that he knew she would like. He didn’t want to alarm her, but considering the fact that he and Connor almost died, may just indicate that she did know. Or she simply didn’t like him. Maybe she just hated the police.

Realizing he could’ve been dead right now was a feeling he was trying to ignore. He was trying to calm his heart from beating rapidly, and he was trying to soothe his mind by telling himself that this is what he signed up for. This is something that shouldn’t scare him, it was common, wasn’t it? He knew the risks, and it didn’t deter him for all these years. And it wouldn’t deter him either now. 

As soon as he got people working on the house, and having given out an arrest for Kerry Lane who was now a wanted woman due to many charges on her name because of today, it would make the case alot easier. They were free to move now - and he suspected that Kerry and her sister were in on this together. Android hatred mixed with police dislike. Having them out of their way would be progress, but they failed. Now he could order everyone to apprehend the group when sighted, but it was a risk. Especially if they had taken androids. He didn’t care for stupid androids, but if he gave the order, his captain would break his neck for negligence and defying his orders, so that was not a very wise. He’d abstain for now.

Perhaps if they caught Kerry for leverage. He knew things about her. He had an advantage. With such in mind, he ordered the people to continue with the investigation and report their findings later to the department. Gavin now would return to the department to look up her  _ real _ name.

 

~~

 

After having driven for ten minutes, Hank Anderson managed to arrive at the CyberLife building without any problems. The drive felt like it took hours from his perspective, but every second he drove, he felt like Connor’s life could be forfeit, and that made him worry even more. He couldn’t lose a son again, not like this. He couldn’t let it happen. He rushed out of the car and upto the building where he explained everything in a hurry, gesturing outside to the car and mentioning the android who was in a critical state. After having explained everything to the staff, several more people who were more suited to take care of androids moved outside and soon after pulled Connor from the car, before vanishing further into the building.

The older man brushed a hand through his mane of silvery-white hair and sat down in the hall on a vacant chair. He pressed his hands together and hunched over in the chair as his eyes lingered on his hands, afterwards raising a little to stare at the cold ground. He felt drained at this moment of time. He was almost preparing himself for another loss, but he knew that he shouldn’t do such. He had to have faith in these people - in Connor. All the things they went through, the trust they’ve established, the new perspective of how he viewed androids..- all of it because of Connor. He couldn’t leave his son behind like that.

He’d have to wait for sometime now.

 

~~

 

After Gavin pulled upto the DCPD, he parked his car on his usual spot and walked inside with his keys in hand. He was slowly feeling the impact of today, and it started to prod at his mind. For a moment, he felt dizzy and his balance was off, but he managed to regain control of his footing as he placed a hand to the nearby wall, steadying himself. He hadn’t recovered completely, and he was aware of that. Perhaps this was all too much for him, but he would never to admit to such a weakness. He was Gavin Reed. He wasn’t weak. Never again.

The man continued his path to the office of his superior to update him on what had happened. It’s standard routine and he hated doing it, but he couldn’t get past it. He looked at Fowler who was busy, seemingly in a call with someone. He knocked on the door a few times without much consideration, which drew his superior’s attention, who briefly gave him a look of annoyance more gesturing he could come inside. Gavin didn’t take a second longer to linger at the door, pushing it open with little effort as he wandered inside, allowing the door to close behind him. He presented himself infront of the captain with folded arms, seemingly a little shaken, but he wouldn’t let anyone see that. ‘’What’s the situation, Princess? I heard about the shooting.’’ Gavin’s eye twitched a little at the nickname, but he managed to ignore it, not making a remark. ‘’I think it was a set-up. We were meant to die, but the fuckers failed. But good news, I know Kerry Lane. The one responsible, so let me in on the case and I’ll track her down.’’

The captain eyed Gavin over for a moment before he spoke again. ‘’Did you see a medic after the shooting?’’ He raised a brow at Gavin that hinted he wanted the honest truth, and if that truth wasn’t to his liking, there’d be more trouble following. Gavin wasn’t going to lie, so he’d disappoint the captain eitherway. ‘’No, but it wasn’t needed. I’m good. Connor’s in CyberLife, though. Literally soaked in bullets, that motherfucker.’’ He whined as he looked aside in growing annoyance. He didn’t need to be babysitted, especially not by his superior who calls him ‘princess’ to irk him. ‘’Reed, you’re pissing me off time and time again. When the fuck are you going to understand this is your health you’re putting at the line?’’ The man in the chair shook his head in disapproval, scoffing afterwards as he leaned back. The detective wasn’t fond of his superior, and he didn’t want to speak to him any longer than he needed to, so he rolled his eyes for a moment. ‘’Put me on the case. I’ll figure it out. Guaranteed. I’m your best shot right now and you know it.’’

Fowler stared a moment at Gavin, seemingly considering his options. Gavin was able. Hank was likely affected by Connor’s state, and Connor was getting repaired, and he didn’t have a time limit on how long that would take. So Gavin was right, indeed. He was his best shot of solving this case, and with his connection to Kerry Lane, he had an advantage that the department desperately needed. ‘’Fine. But don’t fuck this up, Reed. You’re getting a warning next time and I won’t go easy on you. Now get the  _ fuck  _ out of my office.’’ Gavin knitted his brows slightly as his annoyance only became worse, and it was bordering frustration. He had enough of today. He was tired of everyone and he was especially tired of androids. He figured he might aswell watch the interrogation that he didn’t manage to finish before.

As Gavin stormed out of the office, slamming the door closed behind him, he got a few stares from the other people in the department, but that didn’t bother him. Not even the captain who jumped up from his chair and was considering to grab Gavin by the ear to drag him off like a little child. Gavin simply didn’t care. He marched to his desk and slouched down in his chair, planting the car keys ontop of the table with a low sigh. He rubbed his forehead for a moment, brushing a hand over the small injury on his temple. After a moment of thinking, he grabbed his earplugs and turned the terminal on, accessing the interrogation video again. As he watched the video, he canted his head to the side and leaned back in the chair, seemingly bored of it, but as the interrogation unfolded, he leaned in it and narrowed his eyes. As it ended shortly after, he furrowed his brows, tore the earplugs from his ears and stood up abruptly. ‘’CHRIS! Goddamnit, what the fuck is this  _ SHIT!? _ ’’ He yelled around, looking for Chris Miller who had overseen the interrogation. 

 

Gavin was going to have a nice chat with him.


End file.
